Exam Registration Form
FAQ III: Questions About Diagnostic Radiology
Who may participate in MOC?
DIPLOMATES WITH TIME-LIMITED CERTIFICATES:
Must all diplomates with 10-year, time-limited certificates participate in MOC? What about physicists?
When did time-limited certification start?
Isn't it unfair that only the time-limited certificate holders must participate in MOC to maintain their certification, and that decisions about MOC are being made by individuals at the ABMS and ABR who are themselves lifetime certificate holders who do not need to participate in MOC?
I am a physician in an administrative position and my direct practice of medical physics is very limited or none at all. Does this exclude me from the MOC process?
I plan to retire before the expiration of my current certificate. Must I participate in MOC?
DIPLOMATES WITH LIFETIME CERTIFICATES:
Since I passed the initial board examinations in radiologic physics before 2002 and have a lifetime certificate, must I participate in the MOC process?
I am a lifetime certificate holder. If I enter the MOC program, how long does it take to get an MOC certificate? If I don't meet all requirements, do I lose my lifetime certificate?
DIPLOMATES WITH SUBSPECIALTY CERTIFICATES and INITIAL LIFETIME CERTIFICATES:
I obtained my subspecialty certificate (formerly certificate of added qualification, or CAQ) prior to 2002. Is that a lifetime certificate?
I have a lifetime certificate in diagnostic radiology. Since I am always going to be certified, why should I renew my time-limited subspecialty certificate?
I obtained my subspecialty certificate in 1994. I haven't taken an exam or done anything else for MOC - what is my status?
Responses
DIPLOMATES WITH TIME-LIMITED CERTIFICATES:
Must all diplomates with 10-year, time-limited certificates participate in MOC? How about physicists with lifetime certificates?
If you are a time-limited certificate holder, you are automatically enrolled in MOC. In order to maintain continuous certification after the ten year period of your present certificate, you must participate in MOC fully now, during this cycle. Check the appropriate web pages at www.theabr.org for specific requirements and timelines.
If you are a lifetime certificate holder, you may enroll voluntarily in MOC. See "Why does the ABR have an MOC program and why should I participate?" for benefits of participation.
When did time-limited certification start?
Time-limited certificates were first issued as follows:
| CERTIFICATE | YEAR | |
| Pediatric Radiology | 1994 | |
| Vascular and Interventional Radiology | 1994 | |
| Radiation Oncology | 1995 | |
| Neuroradiology | 1995 | |
| Nuclear Radiology | 1999 | |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 2002 | |
| Radiologic Physics | 2002 |
Isn't it unfair that only the time-limited certificate holders must participate in MOC to maintain their certification, and that decisions about MOC are being made by individuals at the ABMS and ABR who are themselves lifetime certificate holders who do not need to participate in MOC?
It is true that diplomates who have lifetime certificates are not required to maintain certification. Lifetime certificates were awarded legally and in good faith. It is not possible, nor appropriate, to change the certification status of such diplomates. However, lifetime certificate holders are strongly encouraged to enter the ABR-MOC Program. For individuals who do so, their lifetime certificates will remain in effect, no matter what the outcome of the MOC process.
All ABR trustees are required to participate in MOC and to maintain certification through the ABR-MOC process.
I am a physician in an administrative position and my direct patient care activity is very limited or none at all. Does this exclude me from the MOC process?
It is recognized that a medical administrator, dean, or practitioner who has limited medical physics activity, or someone who is engaged in research or taking a hiatus from practice, may have special circumstances. The ABMS and the ABR have resolved to formulate tracks to meet the various career paths. While a diplomate in an administrative position may not have practice data for a Practice Quality Improvement project, that individual may be able to meet the requirement within the learning activities in component 2, Lifelong Learning. Therefore, there is great benefit for any diplomate to participate in the MOC process.
I plan to retire before the expiration of my current certificate. Must I participate in MOC?
Yes, if you want to keep your options open for obtaining another 10-year certificate after the expiration of your current certificate. No, if you are certain that you will not want or need another certificate. In that case, even if you do not participate, your present certificate is valid through its expiration date.
If you plan to work part-time after retirement, or might want to go back to work for a period of time, the best way to assure that you have the certification you may need until the time you fully retire, is to participate in MOC now. Because progress in MOC must be continuous, it is not an option to do nothing for 6, 7, 8, or 9 years, and plan to catch-up in a few years at the end of the cycle. On the other hand, at any time in your cycle that you make a definite decision that you will not need certification after your present certificate, you may inform the ABR that you no longer wish to participate in MOC, and stop all payments and recording of activities at that point.
DIPLOMATES WITH LIFETIME CERTIFICATES:
Since I passed the initial board examinations before 2002 and have a lifetime certificate, must I participate in the MOC process?
No. Your lifetime certificate remains valid, as long as your state medical license(s) remains current and unrestricted. However, you are strongly encouraged to participate in the MOC process to demonstrate your commitment to lifelong learning, and to document achievements in your continuing professional development. In addition, your state, payers, or healthcare organization may require reexamination within the past 10 years when relocating to another state. The ABR will always support the lifetime certificate, but the states, payers and those who grant clinical privileges are independent.
I am a lifetime certificate holder. If I enter the MOC program, how long does it take to get an MOC certificate? If I don't meet all requirements, do I lose my lifetime certificate?
Your lifetime certificate is not at risk by entering MOC. If you fulfill all MOC requirements during the 10 full calendar years following the date you enrolled, you will be issued an additional 10-year, time-limited certificate attesting to your successful "maintenance of certification" program. Your original lifetime certificate remains fully valid, even if you would drop out of MOC participation or not fulfill all of the requirements within the 10-year cycle.
I am a lifetime certificate holder who is more than 10 years past my original certification date. I need to recertify because it is required by the state to which I want to move. What can I do?
The ABR currently requires the individual to enroll in the ABR-MOC program. The ABR has a "10-Year Rule" computer based written exam available for lifetime certificate holders who are applying for a medical license in a state requiring examination within the past 10 years. The exam consists of clinical practice questions and cases from each of the 11 ABR categories. Those who have passed this exam have satisfied licensure requirements of the states, and at the same time provided documentation of their clinical practice abilities. Passing this examination fulfills the diplomate's examination requirement for the MOC cycle he or she is entering - it is not necessary to be examined again in the last three years of the cycle. Note: In 2010, this examination will be replaced by the "practice-profiled" diagnostic radiology exam - the same exam taken by all diagnostic radiology MOC participants. This exam will fulfill the same purpose, and be offered under the same procedures, as the exam described above.
DIPLOMATES WITH SUBSPECIALTY CERTIFICATES AND INITIAL LIFETIME CERTIFICATES:
I obtained my subspecialty certificate (formerly certificate of added qualifications, or CAQ) before 2002. Is that a lifetime certificate?
No. All subspecialty certificates are 10-year, time-limited certificates. Participation in MOC is required to maintain that certification.
I have a lifetime certificate in diagnostic radiology. Since I am always going to be certified, why should I renew my time-limited subspecialty certificate?
Although there is no single answer to this question, perhaps the most fundamental answer is "to provide refocusing on the fundamentals of your subspecialty." As defined by the ABR mission, we must continue to demonstrate that we are maintaining knowledge and skills deemed necessary by the public and the medical profession. Specifically, the mission of the ABR is "to serve patients, the public and the medical profession by certifying that its diplomates have acquired, demonstrated and maintained a requisite standard of knowledge, skill and understanding essential to the practice of diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology and radiologic physics." The mission applies to all ABR functions, including subspecialty initial certification and maintenance of certification. If you do not participate in and complete the MOC process, your subspecialty certification will lapse.
I obtained my subspecialty certificate in 1994. I haven't taken an exam or done anything else for MOC - what is my status?
Since you were in the first group issued 10-year, time-limited subspecialty certificates, your first cycle had only the most basic MOC requirements - maintain your state medical licenses without restriction, and pass the subspecialty MOC examination. (Diplomates who earned certificates more recently will have "full" MOC cycles, with requirements in each of the four components.)
ABR and the American Board of Medical Specialties maintain a list of individuals currently certified in the subspecialty; if you did not take or did not pass your exam by the end of 2004, your name has been removed from the subspecialty certification list. If you wish to again be subspecialty certified, you need to notify the board of your desire to take the exam and request a review of status. The board will review and decide on a case-by-base basis.