MOC UPDATE: A Progress Report

March 22, 2019: The Medical Association is continuing to work with various stakeholders to make improvements in the MOC process, and we would like to offer a progress report from the American Board of Medical Specialties and its Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission. The final report is out, and member boards are beginning to implement Commission recommendations.

Perspectives on the Vision Commission Process

Sometimes You Just Don’t Know by Donald Palmisano describes his experience as a member of the Commission and thoughts on the Commission’s final report.

ABMS Member Board innovative assessments gain momentum in 2019

ABMS Member Boards’ Innovative Assessments Gain Momentum in 2019 describes progress by several ABMS Member Boards towards transitioning from traditional exams to longitudinal assessment programs.

Specific ABMS Member Boards mentioned include those representing anesthesiology, family medicine, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, ob/gyn, pediatrics, psychiatry and neurology, radiology, and the seven boards participating in ABMS’ CertLink program – colon and rectal surgery, dermatology, medical genetics and genomics, nuclear medicine, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, pathology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

For those of you wondering, “what’s longitudinal assessment?” – Longitudinal assessment approaches involve shorter assessments of specific content repeatedly over a period of time and often online, combining principles of adult learning with modern technology to promote learning, retention, and transfer of information. (For example, the ABA MOCA Minute includes 30 questions per calendar quarter, delivered through email, portal, or app.) Through this process, concepts and information are reinforced so that knowledge is retained and accumulated gradually. Overall, these programs allow physicians to assess their knowledge, fill knowledge gaps, and demonstrate their proficiency. They may offer both time and cost savings to board-certified physicians by reducing or eliminating the need for study courses, travel to exam centers, and time away from practice.