New Standards Adopted to Elevate Physician Life-Long Learning Assessment for the ABMS Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program

Guiding Principles Will Help Its 24 Medical Specialty Boards Keep Pace with Advances in Medicine, Changes in Practice, and Efforts in Healthcare Reform

Evanston, Ill. - March 26, 2009 - The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) announces adoption of a new set of standards designed to further enhance physician qualification principles assessed through its ABMS Maintenance of Certification® (MOC) program. The ABMS Board of Directors (BOD) approved the standards, proposed by the ABMS Committee on Oversight and Monitoring of Maintenance of Certification (COMMOC), at its March 16 meeting. This uniform set of standards outlines and sets timelines for officially adopting several new MOC program elements, including:

• Documentation that physicians are meeting continued medical education (CME) and self-assessment requirements
• Evidence of participation in practice-based assessment and quality improvement every two to five years
• Completion of a patient safety self-assessment program at least once during each MOC cycle .
• Assessment of communication skills as a standard for all physician diplomates with direct patient care - using a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) patient survey (or other COMMOC-approved survey), and an approved peer survey

These changes come on the heels of the launch of the ABMS 2008-2011 Enhanced Public Trust Initiative, which was approved less than a year ago. The initiative brings an increased commitment to quality healthcare and transparency in physician accountability and provides the opportunity to enhance the value of MOC to the public, physicians, and the Board Enterprise (ABMS and its 24 Member Boards).

“The ability to respond to the needs of the public while keeping pace with the growing field of physician performance measurement requires a dynamic, continuous certification process,” said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, president and CEO of ABMS. “These standards, which will define board-certified physicians' engagement in continuous professional development and assessment, will need to be continually evaluated and updated. Through these standards, hundreds of thousands of physicians in this country will be asked to participate in enhanced professional development activities to improve the ABMS life-long learning evaluation. Ultimately, it's our patients and the public of this country for whom these principles were developed to ensure they are receiving high quality healthcare.”

ABMS is the not-for-profit organization that oversees physician certification in the United States through its Member Boards, certifying more than 80 percent of U.S. physicians. Certification by an ABMS Member Board is widely recognized in healthcare as the gold standard for judging a physician's knowledge, experience, and skills within a medical specialty.

Highlights of ABMS MOC Program Principles:

CME and Self-Assessment Requirements. As part of the approved principles, the 24 ABMS Member Boards will, by 2011, document that physician diplomates are meeting CME and self-assessment requirements for MOC Part II. The content of CME and self-assessment programs receiving credit for MOC will be relevant to medical advances within the medical specialty for which physicians are certified.

Practice-Based Assessment and Quality Improvement. By 2010, ABMS Member Boards will require physician diplomates to provide evidence of participation in practice assessment and quality improvement every two to five years. With the national movement toward performance measurement, evaluation of physician activities should include evidence of practice changes to improve quality and re-evaluation to determine the effect of a change in the practice process or structure of care. Whenever possible, physicians should use nationally-approved measures such as those endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF).

Patient Safety. As part of the MOC Part II self-assessment requirements, effective in 2010, Member Boards will ensure that every physician diplomate enrolled in MOC will complete a patient safety self-assessment program by 2012 and then a minimum of once per MOC cycle. The ABMS BOD approved this requirement as a "developmental standard" that will be piloted, tested for feasibility, and re-evaluated in no more than five years. The ABMS Patient Safety Foundations program or a COMMOC-approved equivalent will be accepted to meet this requirement.

Communication Assessment. Physician diplomates who provide direct patient care will be required to participate in communication skills assessments starting with patients in 2010 and with peers in 2012. Member Boards will evaluate physicians' communication skills using COMMOC-approved surveys, such as the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) patient survey. The ABMS BOD approved these requirements as "developmental standards" that will be piloted, tested for feasibility, and re-evaluated in no more than five years. Member Boards may choose to offer this as a part of MOC Part IV, and it will satisfy Part I requirements.

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.