New OLA Practice Profile Options Increase Flexibility for Diplomates
by N. Reed Dunnick, MD, ABR Executive Associate Director for Diagnostic Radiology
2021;14(6):5
To give participants an opportunity to better align their Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) questions with their current practice, the practice profile rules will change next month for diagnostic radiology (DR) diplomates. The new options will allow more flexibility in how a profile is configured.
Currently, DR diplomates can select up to three clinical practice areas (CPAs). If only one area is chosen, 100% of content will be in that area. If two areas are selected, the content must be divided evenly between them, with half in each selected CPA. Similarly, if a diplomate makes three selections, one-third of questions must come from each selected area.
Starting January 1, 2022, DR diplomates will be able to choose up to four CPAs and have the option of dividing the percentage of questions among them as they wish, as long as no area is reduced to less than 25% and all areas add up to 100%. For example, a diplomate could select one of the following:
- 50% Neuro, 25% Gen, 25% ER
- 100% Breast
- 50% GU, 50% GI
- 25% Gen, 25% ER, 25% Thoracic, 25% Cardiac
- 75% Gen, 25% US
- 55% Gen, 45% Neuro
- 30% ER, 35% Peds, 35% MSK
In addition, diplomates with a DR certificate and one subspecialty certificate will be able to elect 25% of their OLA questions for the subspecialty certificate from a CPA other than their subspecialty. For example, the subspecialty profile could be one of the following:
- 100% subspecialty certificate content
- 75% Neuro (subspecialty certificate content), 25% MSK
There will be no changes to the OLA practice profile rules for diplomates with a DR certificate and two subspecialties. These diplomates will continue to be required to select 100% subspecialty content for each of the subspecialty certificates.
The new practice profile selection interface will be easy to use, with diplomates able to enter percentages or use arrows to raise or lower the percentages allocated to each area. Changes can be made to the selected CPAs and the percentage allocations as often as desired and will take effect immediately.
Because performance evaluations are based on the most recent 200 scorable questions, questions from a CPA that is no longer selected in the current practice profile may be included in a diplomate’s performance evaluation. The performance ratings of all CPAs in the most recent 200 questions can be seen in the cumulative score data.
