ABIM extends suspension of activities requirement
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) announced this week that its board of directors unanimously voted to extend its current suspension of the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice, and Patient Safety requirements in its Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program until at least the end of 2018.
The suspension of these requirements was originally announced, along with other changes to the board’s MOC process, in a letter from ABIM President and CEO Richard J. Baron, MD, MACP, in February. At that time, Baron announced the suspension of the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice, and Patient Safety requirements for at least two years, meaning no internist would have his or her certification status changed for not having completed activities in these areas. This week’s announcement extends the suspension through December 31, 2018.
In the statement announcing the extension, Baron said, “ABIM will continue to provide MOC credit for quality improvement activities physicians choose to do and expand the list of activities we recognize for MOC credit while we partner with others to increase clinically relevant opportunities for doctors to engage in this important work. But we are not prepared, at this point, to reinstate the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient Safety requirements.”