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Frequently Asked Questions (MOC)
Why does the ABR have an MOC program and why should I participate?
No. All 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) now issue time-limited certificates and require participation in an MOC process to maintain board certification. The ABMS and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) have been working together for several years on the concept of MOC. The ABMS, along with its 24 boards (ABR being one of them), have responsibility for program design and development. Our professional societies are the primary sponsors of Category 1 CME, MPCEC (Medical Physics Continuing Education Credit), and ABR-qualified self-assessment modules (SAMs). Activity and support of other societies and organizations in this endeavor is absolutely critical. ABR trustees have made presentations with most societies and subspecialty societies, and are available for presentation of the ABR-MOC program to our professional societies now and in the future.
What is the value of certifying and maintenance of certification (MOC) in radiologic physics?
Certification and MOC:
- demonstrate to the public, peers, and colleagues your dedication to continuous quality improvement, continuous professional development and quality patient care;
- represent an integral part of the quality movement in health care;
- are held in esteem by patients and professional colleagues;
- build on the validity of the initial certification process;
- represent self-regulation by the profession to improve quality of care, and can be both synergistic with and leading other organizations dealing with quality care;
- embrace adult learning principles of accumulated life experience, self-direction, goal-orientation, achievability, and respect for diplomates' achievements, using intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and active participation; and
- most importantly, represent the right thing to do.
Patients, patient advocate groups, large healthcare purchasers, third party payers, and credentialing bodies are demanding more quality assurance and evidence of practice performance. If we do not regulate ourselves, others will step in and do it themselves. As specialists with a public charter and primary concern for patient care and improvement, the Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), including the ABR, are best suited to the task.
Does certification or MOC assure competence?
No, but lifelong learning, self-assessment and maintenance of certification are reflections of the professional determination and commitment to quality patient care.
Could state licensing boards or other entities that issue practice privileges begin requiring maintenance of certification, even for lifetime certificate holders?
Yes, that is possible.
States, hospitals, payers, and health organizations are independent. They make decisions on these matters based on their own interests and constituency. The ABMS has no control over them. We will keep our commitment to honor lifetime certificates, while supporting the concept of MOC. As a point of information, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is moving toward Maintenance of Licensure. In anticipation, the ABMS is communicating with FSMB regarding an ultimate goal of "deemed status" for diplomates who remain actively engaged in the MOC programs of their specialty and subspecialty boards.
All the ABMS boards are becoming further involved in the quality assessment of physicians. Isn't this just another level of needless bureaucracy?
It is the profession itself that has been slow to respond to outside concerns related to quality performance measures, thus opening the door for other organizations to consider requiring radiology diplomates to meet their standards. If the profession does not accept its responsibility and provide the requisite public assurances, it will surely encourage others to continue to involve themselves. It is the intent of the boards, working together with societies and organizations, to provide methodologies to eliminate the need for these outside influences.
Does MOC respond to the Institute of Medicine's concerns about quality of healthcare and their quality indicators?
The six Institute of Medicine quality indicators state that healthcare should be:
- Safe
- Timely
- Effective
- Efficient
- Patient-centered
- Equitable
The ABR MOC program, particularly Part IV "Practice Quality Improvement" (PQI), aims to equip and stimulate participants to work within their practice systems to effect improvements in each of these six indicators. In PQI projects, the diplomate or group of diplomates involved identify relevant aspects of their practice to measure, improve by various strategies, and measure again to quantify progress.
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