Contact: Beth Casteel, bcasteel@acc.org, 202-375-6275

WASHINGTON (May 05, 2016) -

A statement from American College of Cardiology President Richard A. Chazal, M.D., FACC, on the ABIM's announcement today that it is providing more options for physicians for MOC assessments:

"MOC continues to rank among the top concerns of our internal medicine members, with the 10-year examination being the largest obstacle," said American College of Cardiology President Richard A. Chazal, M.D., FACC. "We applaud the ABIM's move in the direction of more flexibility in MOC requirements; however, we will need more details to see how it aligns with the ACC's proposal."

"The ACC remains highly sensitive to the urgency felt by our members who are approaching the 10-year examination requirement," Chazal said. "While all of us would prefer a rapid solution to this issue, we do understand the need to get this right."

According to Chazal, the College will continue to work with ABIM on the details of the rollout. The College has advocated for focused assessments or reevaluations of cognitive skills, similar to the "SAP" model, with the 2016 ACC Lifelong learning Clinical Competencies as the basis of this assessment. Additionally, the ACC has suggested an open-book format for those members choosing to take the 10-year exam. The ACC also continues to advocate for research, working with the internal medicine community, to test the outcome of MOC activities on the actual improvement in patient care and outcomes.

The American College of Cardiologyis a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more, visit acc.org.

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