In response to new and significant changes to the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements, the ACC’s Education Quality Review Board (EQRB) has released a special report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology outlining the changes and EQRB efforts to help ACC members both understand and meet the new requirements.

The new MOC requirements, which became effective on Jan. 1, apply to all certified physicians and require specific proactive steps on the part of physicians between now and the end of March, as well as over the next two years. According to the EQRB report, “all ABIM diplomates should familiarize themselves with the new requirements and should take steps to remain compliant with them if they wish to be recognized as ‘meeting MOC requirements’ on the ABIM website.”

According to the report authors, the EQRB is leading the ACC’s efforts related to the MOC changes. The EQRB, which was created in 2012, is charged with 1) communicating to ACC members both the existing and new requirements for MOC of their primary specialty boards: the ABIM, the American Board of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Association; and 2) developing and overseeing lifelong learning and quality improvement initiatives for ACC members that satisfy these MOC requirements.

Our goal is to “translate the College’s major quality initiatives into programs that can be implemented at the practice level that will not only assist members in satisfying MOC requirements, but also support them in continuously improving their care processes and in achieving the best possible outcomes for their patients,” the report authors said.

In a corresponding commentary, ACC President-Elect Patrick O’Gara, MD, FACC, and Steven G. Lloyd, MD, Ph.D., FACC, ACC governor for Alabama and EQRB member, write that “members are asking the ACC to inform them about the new ABIM requirements, to become more involved in recertification by the ABIM, and to advocate for a process that is more relevant and less resource-intensive.” To this end, they note that the College will be front and center as source of information, MOC tools and as an advocate for its members.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Internal Medicine, Certification, Specialty Boards, United States, Goals