ABPOPPM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program Overview

Background:

The ABPOPPM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program is based on current trends in MOC program development implemented by certifying boards in most medical specialties. In addition, 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, including, but not limited to:

• American Board of Allergy and Immunology
• American Board of Dermatology
• American Board of Neurological Surgery
• American Board of Nuclear Medicine
• American Board of Optometry
• American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics and Primary Podiatric Medicine
• American Board of Radiology

The above list will change upon approval by CMS of additional certifying boards. The following link provides the most current information:

 http://www.cms.gov/PQRS/Downloads/Fully_Qualified_MOC_ap_mm_508_rvsdinfo1_9-8-11.pdf 

This qualification entitles enrollees in a MOC program, who also meet the CMS criteria for "more frequent" activity, to be eligible for an additional economic incentive. This is covered in more detail under the section "The CMS Maintenance of Certification Program Incentive".

The Purpose of MOC:

A MOC program is designed to provide physicians with a self-study, self-assessment, patient evaluation and peer evaluation process to improve and maintain that physician's clinical knowledge and skills in delivering quality patient care. 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. Furthermore, MOC is designed to take into account the role of the physician's relationship with the patient in delivering quality clinical outcomes. MOC requires the physician to prove his or her practice-related knowledge with the aim of providing quality care in a particular setting.

Public accountability and transparency are requirements of current medical practice and the MOC program will assist the physician in meeting this goal. The role of MOC is to insure that physicians assess the quality of care they provide compared to peers and national benchmarks so that they can apply the best evidence or consensus recommendations to improve that care. The goal is to provide a means by which the physician can access ongoing and lifelong learning systems that deliver a current stream of ideas aimed at improving that physician's abilities, and through a series of ongoing self-assessments. Thus, the Board Certified physician can demonstrate and can improve their abilities to provide high quality clinical outcomes for their patients in a responsive, patient-focused, medically current setting.

Note: The MOC program continues to evolve and may change with time.

The Benefits of MOC to the ABPOPPM Diplomate (Physician):

• Recognition, since MOC is the current Benchmark
  MOC is the benchmark standard that other credentialing and certifying organizations are using. An organization that utilizes a well-designed and implemented MOC program will be providing its physicians with the ability to improve their competencies as well as demonstrate such abilities through the physician's MOC certification. Credentialing healthcare organizations or licensing bodies will be looking for and accept MOC-based Diplomate activity.
• ABPOPPM Diplomates (Physicians) who enter the MOC program in 2011 and also fulfill the "more frequent" requirement as defined by the CMS are eligible to receive a reimbursement incentive by CMS subject to CMS regulations.*
• Better Clinical Outcomes for Patients
  Evidence-based approaches and resulting standards should improve patient outcomes and reduce errors. Better clinical outcomes may lead to less malpractice exposure and malpractice premiums.
• Increasing Practice Efficiency
  Increasing physician competence, streamlining practice management, improving patient safety and reducing medical errors will help prevent risk exposure and increase efficiency of patient care outcomes.
  Note: The role of the ABPOPPM is to report MOC enrollment and compliance status of its Diplomates to those organizations that officially request verification. The ABPOPPM has no role in determining the rewards or recognition available to Diplomates as determined by CMS and potentially other health care organizations with which the Diplomate may be a participant.

There are four components to MOC:

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

*The CMS Maintenance of Certification Program Incentive

According to CMS: "Beginning in 2011, physicians will have the opportunity to earn the Physician Quality Reporting System incentive and an additional incentive of 0.5% by working with a Maintenance of Certification entity and by completing the following: Satisfactorily submitting data, without regard to method, on quality measures under Physician Quality Reporting, for a 12-month reporting period either as an individual physician or as a member of a selected group practice AND more frequently than is required to qualify for or maintain board certification by participating in a Maintenance of Certification Program AND successfully complete a qualified Maintenance of Certification Program practice assessment."

Source:  https://www.cms.gov/PQRS/23_Maintenance_of_Certification_Program_Incentive.asp