Texas joins the MOC battle

Texas is the latest state to pass legislation banning its state medical board from requiring Maintenance of Certification (MOC) as a requirement for licensure. The law was signed by Governor Greg Abbott last week and goes into effect on January 1, 2018.

Under the law, the Texas Medical Board cannot use MOC as a requirement for physicians to obtain or renew their Texas medical license. It also prohibits hospitals and health plans from differentiating between physicians who have undergone the process and those who haven't in matters related to payment, contracting or credentialing. Hospitals that want to authorize the differentiation will only be able to do so if the medical staff votes in favor. The governing board, administration, or single person will not be able to make this decision. If the medical staff does vote to have some differentiation between physicians who go through MOC and those that do not, it has to establish appropriate grandfathering provisions. 

The Texas Medical Association supported the bill and views the tests as burdensome and expensive, without positively impacting the quality of patient care.

The Texas Hospital Association, however, said that the bill "could put patient care at risk."

At least 17 states have introduced legislation banning requirements for MOC, according to MedPageToday.

Source: Texas Tribune