ABR Convenes Interventional Radiology Maintenance of Certification Advisory Committee
by James B. Spies, MD, MPH, ABR Associate Executive Director for Interventional Radiology
2021;14(1):11
Recognizing the importance of broad input into the Continuing Certification (Maintenance of Certification, MOC) process within interventional radiology, the ABR has empaneled an IR MOC advisory committee.
Similar to advisory committees for diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology, this committee has a specific charge: to advise the ABR on all aspects of the MOC process and to make suggestions for improvement. While most diplomates interact primarily with Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) questions sent each week, MOC has four parts. The ABR asks its advisory committees to address all the parts, which are:
Part 1: Professionalism and Professional Standing
Maintenance of a current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States, its territories, or Canada.
Part 2: Lifelong Learning and Self-AssessmentCompletion of 75 CME credits over three years, with at least 25 of these being self-assessment CME (SA-CME).
Part 3: Assessment of Knowledge, Judgment, and SkillsParticipation in OLA with passage of the most recent summative decision or having passed a traditional exam in the previous five years.
Part 4: Improvement in Medical PracticeCompletion of at least one Practice Quality Improvement Project or a Participatory Quality Improvement Activity in the previous three years.
Parts 1, 2, and 4 are attested to each year on the diplomate’s myABR page. OLA is an ongoing process in which two opportunities (questions) are sent via an email link to the participating diplomate each week. The details of that part of the program are available here.
In forming this IR advisory committee, the ABR sought nominations from sponsoring organizations that represent interventional radiologists, including the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), the American College of Radiology (ACR), and the Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA). Those organizations submitted nominations to fill this committee and all the invited participants were their nominees. The ABR IR associate executive director serves as the chair.
The committee had its organizing initial meeting via teleconference last November. The discussion began with each committee member summarizing his or her general impressions of the program, evaluating its ease of use, and providing suggestions for potential improvement. Much of the discussion focused on the OLA program that began for IR diplomates in January 2020, and future meetings will focus on specific suggestions to improve the process.
The committee will meet two to three times per year, either in person, at national meetings, or via teleconference. The members of the committee are:
Ezana M. Azene, MD, PhD La Crosse, Wisconsin |
Constantino S. Pena, MD Miami, Florida |
Juan C. Camacho, MD New York, New York |
Robert Ryu, MD Los Angeles, California |
Ram Chadalavada, MD, MS Cincinnati, Ohio |
Thomas Scagnelli, MD New Orleans, Louisiana |
Kevin W. Dickey, MD Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Alda L. Tam, MD, MBA Houston, Texas |
Kelvin Hong, MBBCh, MBBS Baltimore, Maryland |
Venu Vadlamudi, MD Alexandria, Virginia |
Janice M. Newsome, MD Atlanta, Georgia |
Jeffrey L. Weinstein, MD Boston, Massachusetts |