News and briefs: Physicians' ABMS Maintenance of Certification status now public

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) will now publicly report whether board certified physicians are meeting the ABMS Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program requirements established by each of its member boards. The ABMS oversees 24 member boards; the public reporting initiative will start with seven of the boards, according to a press release on the organization’s website. Although some boards already report the MOC status of board certified physicians, the new initiative introduces a standard format across all boards and all information comes in and out of ABMS. ABMS licensees and official display agents will display this information.

"We’re honoring our pledge of increased transparency to the public by providing easy access to important information about individual physicians," said Kevin Weiss, MD, president and CEO of ABMS. "The public can be confident that physicians who are meeting the requirements of the ABMS Maintenance of Certification program are committed to lifelong learning and ongoing evaluation."

To maintain certification, physicians may participate in an ABMS MOC program, which continually assesses physicians' medical knowledge, judgment, professionalism, clinical techniques, and communication skills. To read more about the process, click here.