News and briefs: Three ABMS boards drop end dates

Three member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) recently dropped end dates for its board certified physicians. The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), and American Board of Radiology (ABR) will instead require physicians to participate in ABMS Maintenance of Certification ® (MOC) to retain board certification.

According to a press release on ABMS’s website, the ABMS MOC ® program “continually assesses and helps enhance a physician’s medical knowledge, judgment, professionalism, clinical care and communication skills.” The program—developed by ABMS and its 24 member boards—uses the six core competencies developed by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. Competencies are assessed by a four-part process: licensure and professional standing, lifelong learning and self assessment, cognitive expertise and practice performance assessment.

“Research shows that, in general, over time, knowledge deteriorates and practice habits and patterns fail to change in response to medical advances. Physicians participating in lifelong learning demonstrate their focus on constant improvement efforts and staying current in their medical practices,” says James C. Puffer, MD, ABFM president and CEO in the press release.

Physicians certified by these boards in 2012 will now participate in ongoing MOC, with specific requirements established by each board. The individual boards must also decide how to handle members who were certified before 2012. Will they participate in MOC? Will the guidelines and requirements be different?