ABMS National Policy Forum Underscores Value of Aligning ABMS MOC with National Healthcare Policy Reform Movement

EVANSTON, Ill. — April 7, 2009 — The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), recently convened major stakeholders in healthcare policy reform for its first National Policy Forum (NPF) addressing physician accountability and the role of physician standards in achieving improved healthcare performance and effectiveness.

Keynote speaker Janet M. Corrigan, PhD, MBA, president and chief executive officer of the National Quality Forum (NQF) confirmed the critical need for involvement from the physician community. “If we are going to have meaningful healthcare reform, we need to have everyone on board,” said Dr. Corrigan. “The new administration and Congress are off and running, so your voice is really needed. Now is the time to ensure that board certification is aligned with efforts to improve quality, cost and care.”

The forum, held March 17, 2009, in Washington, D.C., provided ABMS and representatives of its 24 Member Boards the opportunity to meet with leaders in purchaser, government and consumer groups who are involved in improving healthcare value in the United States. The event included panelists from major purchaser groups, U.S. Senate staff, and national consumer organizations.

One theme during the panel discussions was support among major stakeholders for ABMS Maintenance of Certification® (MOC) as a method for increasing physician accountability. Panelists said that MOC - a key ABMS priority - should be included in healthcare reform legislation as a way for patients, health insurers and policymakers to know that providers are delivering effective, quality care.

“It is no longer enough for physicians to indicate they are board certified; they must maintain their certification,” said Barry M. Straube, MD, director and chief medical officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), who delivered the NPF opening keynote address. ABMS MOC “aligns perfectly with what we are doing at CMS,” said Dr. Straube. He added that one idea for including MOC in healthcare reform would be to count it as a Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) measure.

A second theme of the forum discussion was the need for evidence to demonstrate the link between MOC and healthcare quality and the reduction of costs, two primary goals of healthcare reform. Dr. Straube stated that making this connection is essential, because right now we don't have evidence that MOC-participating physicians deliver better quality care. “I think we all believe it, but we don't have the evidence,” said Dr. Straube, adding that reporting data on MOC will provide the needed connection for policymakers.

ABMS was created more than 75 years ago as a reliable and trusted resource for consumers and healthcare professionals seeking information on physician qualifications. “In establishing MOC, ABMS furthers its ability to “assure patients, health insurers and policymakers that commitment to quality among the physician community is continuing,” said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, ABMS president and CEO after the forum.

Reporting performance data has been unpopular with some physicians who see it as an unfair evaluation tool, but the panelists said doctors need to understand that policymakers believe that reporting will increase quality and lower costs. “I think there is a role for public reporting and I don't think it is going to go away,” said Dr. Corrigan.

Panelists representing patients and health insurers said they believe MOC-based reporting will provide consumers with the information they need to distinguish between physicians who deliver effective, quality care and those who do not. But Peter V. Lee, JD executive director of National Health Policy for the Pacific Business Group on Heath added that employers want MOC to be reported “not so insurers can play gotcha, but so consumers can make better informed choices among all the physicians available to them.”

Helen Darling, MA, BS, president of the National Business Group on Health, confirmed that initial interest among purchasers is in being able to distinguish good from bad care, but that long term, what they are looking for is improvement in care. “Eventually, there should be a difference in payments based on what the reporting shows,” said Joyce Dubow, senior advisor in AARP's Office of Policy and Strategy.

“While physicians understand the demands of maintaining certification, patients need to understand that MOC is different than licensing and that while licensing is done state-by-state, MOC is nationwide,” said Kavita Patel, MD, MSHS, deputy staff director of the Senate Health Committee. Lee added that because most of the state licensing boards oversee only the most minimal level of physician competence, it will be helpful to make transparent the data underlying the board certification process and ongoing MOC criteria.

ABMS has taken several steps to address the need to align MOC with national healthcare reform by developing more rigorous reporting standards, through programs such as its Enhanced Public Trust Initiative, launched within the past year, and implementation of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) patient survey. Corrigan asserted that incorporating CAHPS with MOC requirements is extremely important. Debra L. Ness, MS, president of National Partnership for Women and Families, agreed. “It is not enough for doctors to say they care about patients if they aren't willing to take the step to ask their patients for feedback,” said Ness.

ABMS also recently became a member of the NQF's National Priorities Partnership (NPP), a group of 28 “stakeholder organizations” that Corrigan said is aiming to improve safety, care coordination, patient and family engagement, palliative care and the general health of the population while reducing unnecessary medical costs. The NPP initiative goes beyond simple reporting. Corrigan explained, “A lot has been done on quality but we have only seen modest improvement. We have focused on measurement and not enough on improvement.” She also acknowledged that while the partnership is moving faster than some want, “we don't have the luxury of moving at a snail's pace anymore.”

According to Chris Dawe, a staff member for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the Finance Committee plans to introduce healthcare reform legislation this summer. He noted, stakeholders in healthcare reform are looking to the physician community to embrace transparency as a necessary element in the effort to create incentives that reward quality care and efficient use of resources. “Things are moving rapidly,” said Dawe, “And we are interested in working on something that works. Opportunities like this come around only once every 10 or 20 years.”

“I think the ABMS participants all came away with an increased sense of urgency about the need for transparency in physician accountability,” said Joel A. DeLisa, MD, MS, ABMS chair. “This was a pivotal opportunity for our Board Enterprise to hear from and align our efforts with national leaders in healthcare reform.”

About ABMS
Now in its 75th year, American Board of Medical Specialties is the medical organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. It assists its 24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists. ABMS Member Boards provide physician certification information to ABMS for its certification verification service programs. ABMS is recognized by the key healthcare credentialing accreditation entities as a primary equivalent source of board certification data for medical specialists. Patients can visit www.abms.org or call toll-free 1-866-ASK-ABMS to see if their physician is board certified by an ABMS Member Board. For more information about ABMS visit www.abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

The 24 Member Boards that make up the ABMS Board Enterprise covers over 145 medical specialties and subspecialties include: American Board of Allergy and Immunology, American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, American Board of Dermatology, American Board of Emergency Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Medical Genetics, American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Nuclear Medicine, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Ophthalmology, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology, American Board of Pathology, American Board of Pediatrics American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Preventive Medicine, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Board of Radiology, American Board of Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and American Board of Urology.