Meet your education, licensure, and certification requirements with one single program.
The ABIM/ACC Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) is an alternative Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assessment option, but it's more than just a test – it's about learning and refreshing your knowledge on a yearly basis. Delivered through ACC's SAPs, it includes comprehensive educational material, and annual updates. You'll get text and presentations created by experts, plus hundreds of self-assessment questions. Learn in whatever format suits your needs – reading, watching and/or listening.
With the CMP, you can stay 100% certified by focusing on just 20% of the field each year; over a span of 5 years, your entire knowledge base is refreshed but you never feel like you have to learn everything at once.
Yearly participation entails:
Refreshing your knowledge by engaging in the CMP topic(s) for the year. New for 2022, you may choose how much time to spend learning about the year's CMP topic(s); the 7-hour learning engagement requirement has been removed.
Honing your clinical judgement skills by scoring 70% or better on the practice questions for the year's CMP topic(s).
Demonstrating mastery by taking and passing a Performance Assessment (a 60-question online test) for that year's topic(s).
Compare MOC Assessment Options
Your options for meeting your ABIM MOC assessment requirements have expanded. Use the information here to compare the options and select the one that's best for you.
The CMP is a great way to stay current, and, when your MOC assessment requirement is due, simply continue with the program. A passing score on the Performance Assessment satisfies your MOC assessment requirement and there's no need to travel to a Board review course or take time away from your practice.
As a streamlined path for refreshing your knowledge, staying licensed, AND maintaining your certification, the CMP delivers everything you need through one single program.
6 Steps to Participating in the CMP Click on each step below to learn more.
Interventional Cardiology (delivered through CathSAP, which is developed in collaboration with SCAI)
Clinical Cardiac Arrhythmias & Electrophysiology (delivered through EP SAP)
Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology (delivered through HF SAP, which is developed in collaboration with HFSA)
Step 1: Be currently certified by ABIM and not in an MOC exam grace period.
You can participate in the CMP if you are currently Board certified by ABIM and NOT in an MOC exam grace period. A grace period occurs when you fail an assessment in the year you were due but have met all your other MOC requirements. If you are in a grace period and you have questions, please contact ABIM directly.
You can check your certification status by signing in to your ABIM Physician Portal at abim.org.
Can I use the CMP to regain my certification status if my ABIM certificate has lapsed?
No, currently the only "re-entry" pathways for a lapsed certificate are to take and pass the traditional 10-year MOC exam; or,
participate in ABIM's Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKATM).
Please note that because a decision on performance is not made until the end of the 5th year of LKA participation, a physician will be reported as "Not Certified" until that time. A physician whose certification has lapsed may use the traditional, 10-year MOC exam to restore certification more quickly.
Step 2: Purchase the relevant SAP. Your purchase provides you with 5 years of access.
FAQs Related to This Step
My institution subscribes to CardioSource Plus. Will the CMP be available through it
Your institution's subscription to CardioSource Plus includes the traditional elements of a SAP (text, presentations, and practice questions). It does not include the CMP. If you want to participate in the CMP, you will need to purchase your own personal version of the SAP.
As long as you use the same ACC.org account to access the SAP through CardioSource Plus and to access your personal subscription to the SAP, your progress and usage data will be stored in one central location.
CardioSource Plus users can order SAPs by:
ENROLLING in the CMP, which will prompt you to buy the relevant SAP (technical difficulties prevent CardioSource Plus users from purchasing outside of enrollment).
CALLING ACC's Member Care team at 800-253-4636, x5603 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
Step 3: SCORE 70% or better on the Practice Questions for the CMP Topic(s). You may answer as many times as necessary to achieve that score.
New for 2022, it's your choice how much time to spend "engaging" in the year's CMP topic(s). The 7-hour requirement has been removed, so it's now totally up to you how much time to spend reading the text, watching the presentations, and answering the practice questions. Your only requirement is to answer all of the practice questions and achieve a score of 70% or better.
FAQs Related to This Step
When can I start answering the practice questions each year?
Start in early February! Each February, ACC will update the CMP SAPs with new science, guidelines and trials and reset the credit so you can start fresh.
2022 CMP Topics by SAP
Step 4: Enroll in the CMP.
Enrolling is easy! To enroll, you must:
Have a PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTION to the SAP*.
Have your ABIM DIPLOMATE number, DATE OF BIRTH, and the NAME that appears on your ABIM certificate.
Have a CELL PHONE NUMBER or EMAIL ADDRESS that you can use for 2-Factor Authentication.
*SAPs through CardioSource Plus do not include the CMP.
SHORTER in length (60 questions that are structured just like the Practice questions in the SAP)
FOCUSED on only 20% of the ABIM blueprint each year.
OPEN BOOK – you may use any resource except another person.
TIMED
You'll have two hours to complete a Performance Assessment for Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology and Heart Failure.
You'll have three hours to complete a Performance Assessment for Electrophysiology (this is new for 2022.
You must complete the assessment in one sitting.
ONLINE – you may take a Performance Assessment in your home or office
Available during two specific weeks each year.
You have two CHANCES TO PASS EACH YEAR – once during each week of availability. Starting the year that your MOC assessment requirement is due, you will need to pass a Performance Assessment each year.
How do I take a Performance Assessment?
To take a Performance Assessment, you must have:
A PRIVATE SPACE THAT IS FREE FROM DISRUPTIONS FOR THE TIME allotted for the assessment.
RELIABLE INTERNET access.
The DEVICES and BROWSERS outlined in the table below:
DO Use
AVOID Using
Device
Laptop
Desktop
Tablet
Phone
Browser
Chrome
Safari
Internet Explorer on either a PC or a Mac
Firefox
When can I take a Performance Assessment?
Performance Assessments are offered during two one-week windows each year. During each one-week window, you may take the Performance Assessment ONCE at your convenience any time of day or night. You do not need to schedule a specific time. Please avoid waiting until the last two or three hours of the one-week window to take your Performance Assessment so there is time to resolve any unforeseen issues that may occur.
If you want two (2) chances to pass, be sure to participate in the first Performance Assessment; if you miss it or skip it, you will only have one chance to pass with the second Performance Assessment.
Do I have to PASS the Performance Assessment?
Normally, you must pass a Performance Assessment every year starting in the year that your assessment requirement is due; however, due to the ongoing pandemic, ABIM has extended deadlines for all Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements to December 31, 2022. Here's what that extension means for the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP):
If your MOC assessment requirement is due in 2020 or 2021 or 2022, you must pass ONE CMP Performance Assessment in 2020, 2021, OR 2022 to be counted as meeting your MOC assessment requirement. Instead of passing every year during this time, you only need to pass once.
If you PASSED a CMP Performance Assessment in 2020 or 2021, you don't need to worry about passing in 2022; you can participate in 2022 without the stress of achieving a passing score.
If you FAILED a CMP Performance Assessment in 2020 or 2021, you have two more chances to pass in 2022.
In 2023 and beyond, you must meet the engagement requirement and pass the performance assessment every year to be considered as meeting your ABIM assessment requirement. You will have two chances to pass each year. Please note that if you want two chances to pass, you must participate in the first Performance Assessment; if you miss it or skip it, then you will only have one attempt to pass with the second Performance Assessment.
What happens if I DON'T PASS the CMP Performance Assessment in the year that my assessment requirement is due?
Starting the year that your MOC assessment requirement is due, you MUST PASS THE CMP PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT EVERY YEAR to be considered as meeting your assessment requirement.
You get two CHANCES TO PASS each year.
If you DO NOT PASS a CMP Performance Assessment in the year that your assessment requirement is due, you won't lose your certification. Instead, you need to take the traditional, 10-year MOC exam in the following year to achieve a passing score. After passing the 10-year exam, you can return to the CMP.
How do I know if I pass the CMP?
After completing a Performance Assessment, most participants will receive IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK about whether they passed or did not pass.
Some participants will score within a range that requires additional analysis and will not learn immediately whether they passed. They will learn their pass/fail status via the Score Report described below.
Detailed Score Reports will be released two weeks after the Performance Assessment window closes. Score Reports will include:
Your score
The passing score
Recommended content for further study based on the questions you answered incorrectly. (To maintain question security, you won't be able to see the questions again or see exactly which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly.)
ACC will email all participants when the score report is available within the CMP Hub.
Can I take the Performance Assessment as many times as I want during the administration windows?
No, you may take a Performance Assessment once during each administration window.
Where Can I Find My CMP Score Report?
1. Login to your SAP and enter the CMP Hub.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the CMP Hub and click the link titled
Click Here to See Your Score Report for Performance Assessment X.
3. Click the button labeled CMP Score Report (it's in the orange Score Box).
Step 6: Repeat steps 3 and 5 each year (but on a different 20% of the field each year).
Each year, the CMP will focus on approximately 20% of the field. The table below outlines the topics of focus over the next five years within each SAP.
With the exception of the 2020/2021/2022 CMP extension, you have to do something EVERY YEAR to maintain your certification via the CMP – achieve a score of 70% or better on the practice questions for the topic(s), and pass the Performance Assessment.
WHEN should I start participating in the CMP?
Start now! Enrolling in the CMP now lets you:
Get into the habit of refreshing your knowledge of the field at a refreshing pace – focus on 20% of the field each year.
Earn all the CME and MOC Medical Knowledge (Part II) points that you need.
Gain experience taking Performance Assessments without the stress of achieving a passing score. You don't need to worry about passing until the year your MOC assessment requirement is due. Participation in the CMP prior to your due date does not change your due date.
Learn if it's the best MOC assessment option for you. If it is, simply continue using it, and if it isn't, you can use the CMP SAP as a study tool for a different MOC assessment option (such as ABIM's traditional 10-year exam).
My MOC assessment requirement is due by December 31, 2022. When should I take a CMP Performance Assessment?
Due to the ongoing pandemic, ABIM has extended deadlines for all Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements to December 31, 2022. Here's what that extension means for the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP):
If your MOC assessment requirement is due in 2020 or 2021 or 2022, you must pass ONE CMP Performance Assessment in 2020, 2021, OR 2022 to be counted as meeting your MOC assessment requirement. Instead of passing every year during this time, you only need to pass once.
If you PASS a CMP Performance Assessment in 2021, you don't need to worry about passing in 2022; you can participate in 2022 without the stress of achieving a passing score.
If you FAIL a CMP Performance Assessment in 2021, you have two more chances to pass in 2022.
The CMP is designed to promote continuous learning. Even though you are not required to participate yearly during 2020, 2021, and 2022, ongoing participation in the pathway is encouraged to help you realize its full educational value and keep your knowledge current.
Besides meeting the Performance Assessment requirement, does participating in the CMP also fulfill ABIM's MOC requirements?
Over time, continuous engagement with the annual CMP will earn you more than enough MOC points to meet the MOC 100-point requirement every five years. However, if your 5-year MOC points requirement is due within the next 2-3 years, additional points may be necessary.
This would all depend on how many points you have already accrued when you enter the pathway. ACCSAP offers a total of 160 CME/MOC points, so you may need to claim MOC points for topics above and beyond the topic(s) that are the focus of that year's CMP.
Be sure to check your ABIM physician portal to see your specific circumstance. If you are maintaining certification in Interventional Cardiology, please note that the 5-year attestation requirement also remains in place.
What is the total cost to participate in the CMP?
ABIM ANNUAL COST
TO PARTICIPATE IN MOC*
$220 per year
(if you pay in the year you're due)
*Paid directly to ABIM regardless of the MOC option you choose. Learn more about ABIM's MOC fees and what's included.
CMP SAP PURCHASE
WHICH GIVES YOU 5 YEARS OF ACCESS**
$1,500 for ACC Members
$1,900 for Nonmembers
$900 for Fellows in Training or Emeritus Members
**Paid directly to ACC for access to all SAP educational material, CME/MOC credits and the CMP.
What information will I receive after completing a Performance Assessment?
After completing a Performance Assessment, most participants will receive immediate feedback about whether they passed or did not pass.
Some participants will score within a range that requires additional analysis and will not learn immediately whether they passed. They will learn their status via the Score Report described below.
Two weeks after the Performance Assessment window closes, ACC will release detailed score reports with the following information:
Your scaled score
The passing scaled score
Recommended content for further study based on the questions you answered incorrectly. (To maintain question security, you won't be able to see the questions again or see exactly which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly.)
ACC will email all participants when the score report is available within the CMP Hub.
HOW Does the CMP Compare to the ABIM's Knowledge Check-In and the traditional MOC exam?
When should I start working on the 2022 CMP topic(s)?
Please wait until February 2022 to start working on the CMP topic(s) for 2022. ACC will publish updates to all CMP SAPs in early February and you can start working on your CMP requirements then. If you're enrolled in the CMP, ACC will send you a notification when the updates are published.
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