Self-Assessment

Requirements

Who Must Re-Credential

All active Diplomates must meet the re-evaluation requirement, including Founders and Emeritus, with the following exceptions:

• Diplomates who have already attained 60 years of age (including Founders and Emeritus) prior to 2007 remain exempt from the 10-year re-credentialing requirement
• Diplomates who are Retired are exempt from the requirement
• Diplomates who can document permanent disability from the ability to practice the profession of podiatry are exempt from the re-evaluative process.
• Diplomates who are disabled or are inactive may have the re-evaluation requirement extended based upon appeal to the Board of Directors.

Categories For Re-Evaluation

A. Lifetime Certificate Holders:

Diplomates holding lifetime certificates (certificates issued prior to 1994) with or without a concurrent time-limited certificate must re-credential every 10 years. Lifetime Certificate Holders may re-credential via either of two methods:

1. Taking the self-assessment examination no later than the 10th year from their prior re-credentialing date, or
2. Enrolling in the ABPOPPM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program*

Lifetime certificate holders who fail to meet the re-credentialing requirement via self-assessment by the 10th year from their prior re-credentialing date, or who fail to voluntarily enter the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program by the 10th year from their prior re-credentialing date, will have their diplomate status revoked.

*For diplomates enrolled in the MOC program, the Self -Assessment Examination fulfills Component 3 of the MOC program

Note: The Self-Assessment Examination, as an isolated activity, fulfills the re-credentialing requirement for ABPOPPM diplomates holding lifetime certificates . It is not, however, the same as re-certification and may not fulfill third party re-credentialing requirements (e.g. hospitals or managed care companies). We strongly advise you to review your third party contracts carefully. ABPOPPM headquarters is mandated to inform inquiring third party credentialing organizations who seek verification of a diplomate’s status of the method by which the diplomate has been re-evaluated (e.g. MOC versus self-assessment).

The Self-Assessment Examination consists of 100 multiple choice (or other forms of short answer questions) administered at Prometric's network of testing centers. The examination is equally weighted in areas relevant to podiatric orthopedics and primary podiatric medicine, and is represented by questions in the subject areas delineated further in this booklet.

B. 10-year Time-Limited Certificate Holders:

10-year Time-Limited Certificate Holders must re-credential via the ABPOPPM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program no later than the 10th year from their prior re-credentialing date.

Certificates issued by the ABPOPPM in 1994 and thereafter are time-limited and are valid for 10 years from the time of issue. Diplomates previously holding time-limited certificates in both primary podiatric medicine and podiatric orthopedics, who achieved Diplomate status in each in the same examination year, are given an additional 10-year credit for having previously certified in the second specialty. Their mandatory re-certification date will therefore be 20 years from the date they received their initial certification. Thereafter they must meet the re-evaluation requirement every 10 years.

The ABPOPPM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program is designed to provide its diplomates with a self-study, self-assessment, patient evaluation, and peer evaluation process to improve and maintain that diplomate's clinical knowledge and skills in delivering quality patient care. This program is based on current trends in MOC program development implemented by certifying boards in most medical specialties. The ABPOPPM has been granted "Fully Qualified" status by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a status granted similarly to several allopathic and other certifying boards.

The purpose of MOC is to facilitate constant improvement in physician's abilities to effectively maintain one's knowledge and skills in an environment of immense growth and complexity of medical science and demands in clinical care. Public accountability and transparency are requirements of current medical practice and the MOC program will assist the physician in meeting this goal

There are FOUR components to MOC:

1. Professionalism
2. Lifelong Learning
3. Cognitive Expertise (Examination)
4. Performance in Practice

For ABPOPPM Diplomates holding 10-year time-limited certificates, the ABPOPPM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program will replace the current re-certification process. If not voluntarily enrolled in sooner by Diplomates in this class, the program will become mandatory at the conclusion of the Diplomate's existing 10-year cycle. Components 1 and 2 are essentially unchanged from current requirements.

Diplomates holding Lifetime Certificates are not required to enter the MOC program and may continue to re-credential through the Board's self-assessment examination, as had been done previously. Lifetime Certificate holders' verification status will remain as "Diplomate." Lifetime Certificate holders may, however, elect to enroll in the MOC program. When enrolled Lifetime Certificate holders must fulfill all four components of the MOC requirements (components 1-3 are essentially unchanged from current requirements).

Regardless of certificate type, once enrolled and while fulfilling the requirements, Diplomates will be reported by the ABPOPPM as “Certified And Meeting All The Requirements of MOC.”

Diplomates holding Lifetime Certificates may disenroll at any time.

Further details about the ABPOPPM MOC program can be obtained at the ABPOPPM website, by going to the "Members Only" button bar and clicking on "MOC program".

Materials Required to Re-Credential:

Re-Credentialing documents are available here for viewing online with Adobe Reader (please see the Acrobat download link below):

1. 2012 Re-Credentialing Information and Requirements Booklet (Online PDF)   
2. 2012 Form 105 and Guidelines (Online PDF)   

The two documents required for Self-Assessment are also available for download, archived in a single file packet for your convenience. Click here to go to our download page then click on the "Self-Assessment Packet" link.

Adobe Reader:

For your convenience, we have created Portable Document Format (PDF) files of our key publications, forms and guides. You will need the free Adobe® Reader® application to view, complete and print these files. Please download the latest Adobe Reader application, free of charge, by clicking on the "Get Adobe Reader" icon below.