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AAO preparing to help surgeons with recertification, president says
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NEW YORK — The upcoming requirements for maintenance of physician certification are a “train coming down the tracks,” said Michael R. Redmond, MD, president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, speaking here.
Dr. Redmond told members of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) during its annual meeting here that in the current political climate there is a heavy emphasis on physician accountability and lifelong learning.
The AAO has responded by allocating resources to help surgeons prepare for the recertification exam, Dr. Redmond said. While the exam is currently an “open book” test, after 2005 the American Board of Ophthalmology plans to change its testing methods. This will affect all physicians licensed after 1992, he added.
Individual states may require recertification regardless of the number of years a physician has been in practice, Dr. Redmond predicted.
In the meantime, the AAO is working to identify areas of knowledge that are appropriate to the general ophthalmologist as well as to each subspecialty, Dr. Redmond said, to aid in study for the recertification exam.
“For example, should all retina specialists be proficient in macular translocation surgery?” he asked.
Dr. Redmond also urged ASRS members to be active participants in their societies.