Step 1: Be currently certified by the ABIM in Cardiovascular Disease and not in an MOC exam grace period.

You can participate in the 2019 CMP for cardiovascular disease if you are currently Board certified by the ABIM in cardiovascular disease and NOT in an MOC exam grace period. A Grace period occurs when you fail an assessment in the year you were due. Very few people are in a grace period. If you are and you have questions, please contact the ABIM directly.

You can check your certification status by signing in to your ABIM Physician Portal at www.abim.org.

ABIM Contact Information:
Phone: 800-441-2246
Email: requests@abim.org

Step 2:  Purchase ACCSAP. Your purchase provides you with 5 years of access.

Step 3:  Spend 7 or more hours “engaging” in the topic covered by the 2019 CMP Performance Assessment, which is Arrhythmias.

This means you need to spend at least 7 hours:

1. a. Reading the text, watching/listening to presentations and/or completing practice questions in the Arrhythmias chapter
2. b. Completing all Arrhythmias practice questions and answering at least 70% of them correctly (you may answer as many times as necessary to achieve that score).
3. c. The 7 hours must be accrued in the same calendar year as the Performance Assessment for that topic.
4. d. ACCSAP will automatically track your online engagement hours so you do not need to keep track of them.  Please note that you must be online in order for your engagement hours to count.  If you download files to listen/read offline, that time will not be counted.

Step 4: Enroll in the CMP.

Enrolling is easy! To enroll, you must:

1. - Have a PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTION to ACCSAP*.
2. - Have your ABIM DIPLOMATE number, DATE OF BIRTH, and the NAME that appears on your ABIM certificate.
3. - Have a CELL PHONE NUMBER or EMAIL ADDRESS that you can use for 2-Factor Authentication.

After enrolling:

1. - You will have ACCESS TO THE CMP HUB within ACCSAP, where you can track your 7 hours and access Performance Assessments.
2. - You can CONTINUE WORKING TOWARD YOUR 7 HOURS / 70% (you don’t have to complete this prior to enrolling).

*ACCSAP through CardioSource Plus does not include the CMP

Enroll in the CMP What to do AFTER Enrolling.

Step 5: Take a Performance Assessment

What is a Performance Assessment?
Performance Assessments are TESTS that are:

1. - SHORTER in length (60 questions that are structured just like the Practice questions in ACCSAP)
2. - FOCUSED on only 20% of the ABIM blueprint each year
   (Arrhythmias for 2019).
3. - OPEN BOOK
4. - TIMED – you will have ~2 hours to complete the test and you must complete it in one sitting.
5. - ONLINE – you may take a performance assessment in your home or office
6. - Available NOVEMBER 6 – 12 and DECEMBER 4 – 10, 2019.  You may take a Performance Assessment once during each offering until you pass.

How do I take a Performance Assessment?
To take a Performance Assessment, you must have:

1. - CHROME, FIREFOX, EDGE OR SAFARI on your laptop/desktop. (ACC recommends that you avoid using Internet Explorer)
2. - A PRIVATE SPACE THAT IS FREE FROM DISRUPTIONS FOR THE 2 HOURS allotted for the assessment.
3. - RELIABLE INTERNET access.
4. - A DESKTOP OR LAPTOP.  You may not use a mobile phone to complete a Performance Assessment.

When can I take a Performance Assessment?
You will have 2 OPPORTUNITIES to take the Performance Assessment in 2019:

1. - November 6 – 12, 2019                                
2. - December 4 – 10, 2019

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 because there is no proctor. 

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.

Please avoid waiting until the last two hours of the one-week window to take your Performance Assessment so there is time to resolve any unforeseen issues that may occur.

Do I have to PASS the Performance Assessment?

1. - 2019 IS A “NO CONSEQUENCES” YEAR; you will be considered as meeting your assessment requirement as long as you participate in both the engagement and performance components of the CMP pathway.  No need to achieve a passing score on a Performance Assessment this year only!
2. - A ‘no consequences” year doesn't mean you can skip the assessment. If you skip it, and your certification expires in 2019, your status will change to Not Certified.
3. - IN 2020 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 2 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.

How do I know if I pass the CMP?
ACCSAP’s CMP Performance Assessment is delivered online so it is anticipated that you will receive your results immediately.

What happens if I don’t pass the CMP Performance Assessment?
If you don’t pass in 2019, you will still be counted as maintaining your certification because 2019 is a “no consequences” year. After 2019, you must pass the CMP Performance Assessment every year to be considered as maintaining your certification.  But remember, you have two chances to pass each year – the first Performance Assessment anticipated in early fall and the second Performance Assessment in later fall.

After 2019, if you do not pass a CMP Performance Assessment you have the option to maintain your board certification by passing ABIM’s two-year Knowledge Check-in (KCI) or the 10-year exam.  After passing one of ABIMs alternatives, you can then return to ACC’s CMP.

Can I take the Performance Assessment as many times as I want during the administration windows? 
No, you will have two chances annually to take and pass your Performance Assessment and you may take it once during each administration window.  To ensure that you have two chances to pass, you must participate in the first Performance Assessment administration window (November 6-12, 2019).  If you miss or skip it, then you will have only one attempt to pass with the second Performance Assessment (December 4-10, 2019).

Step 6:  Repeat steps 3 and 5 for the next 4 years (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 ACCSAP.

You have to do something EVERY YEAR to maintain your certification via the CMP – spend 7 hours engaging in the topic(s), achieve a score of 70% or better on the practice questions for the topic(s), and pass the Performance Assessment.