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ABIM to ‘explore’ MOC language change
The American Board of Internal Medicine announced today that it is going “explore” making changes to the maintenance of certification, or MOC, reporting status.
Currently, physicians are either reported to be “meeting MOC requirements” or “not meeting MOC requirements.” The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) wrote in a press release that the current language is “causing legitimate confusion,” particularly because some physicians have been grandfathered into the new requirements of the MOC program.
“ABIM is committed to maintaining common standards across the Board community and is exploring what changes to the reporting language can be made, working closely with [American Board of Medical Specialties],” the organization said in the release.
The announcement follows calls from other organizations to make changes to the program. Recently, the American College of Cardiology asked for revisions to the program after expressing concerns in April following a member survey. At that time, ACC President Patrick O’Gara, MD, FACC, told Cardiology Today, “In a recent ACC member survey, one respondent noted: ‘In times of declining reimbursement and physicians having to tag on more work, MOC [is] not helping, but just adding more work.’”
In June, Cardiology Today spoke with the president of the American College of Physicians, David Fleming, MD, MA, FACP, who said, “We are hearing universal dissatisfaction with the ABIM MOC process. Our members and other physicians are telling us that MOC is unduly labor-intensive, burdensome and expensive. Those with time-unlimited certificates feel they are being significantly pressured to participate in a program that is supposed to be voluntary.”
In June, the Endocrine Society urged the ABIM to suspend the program until it has been changed. In July, the ABIM announced it would make changes to the program, including making deadlines more flexible and reduce the amount of data collection required. That announcement preceded a summit the organization held with concerned societies on July 15.