What does “participating in continuing certification” mean?
Participating in continuing certification (formerly MOC) means that a physician is committed to and engaged in the assessment and learning activities required by their certifying board(s) to improve the effectiveness, safety, and efficiency of their practice. The certifying board(s) determines whether a physician is in compliance.
How is continuing certification participation displayed in the ABMS Board Certification Credentials Profile?
The “Participating in Continuing Certification (formerly MOC)” display includes the status of all a physician’s specialty and subspecialty certificates from one or more ABMS Member Boards. For each certificate listed, either “Yes”, “No”, or “Not Required” is shown to indicate status.
What does each status designation in the Profile mean?
- “Yes” status indicates the physician is engaged in the continuing certification (formerly MOC) assessment and learning activities required by their certifying Member Board(s).
- “No” status may be listed due to a variety of reasons. For example, a physician may have chosen not to participate in continuing certification. Or, the physician may be participating in but not meeting the Member Board(s) program requirements. More information is available from the specific ABMS Member Board.
- “Not required” status indicates that the physician became board certified before the Member Board established its continuing certification program and is therefore not required to participate. This is noted in a disclaimer at the bottom of the profile page.
What if the “Participating in Continuing Certification” information is missing from the Profile?
If the participation status information is missing, the physician’s certifying Member Board(s) has not made it available to ABMS. Examples of why the information has not been provided to ABMS could include technical issues, delays in confirming the continuing certification (formerly MOC) status of a board certified physician, or other factors specific to the physician. ABMS will publicly display whether that physician is participating in continuing certification as soon as it receives the information from the certifying board(s).
If a physician is not participating in continuing certification, does that mean they are not or cannot be certified?
Physicians with time-limited certificates from an ABMS Member Board who are not participating in continuing certification (formerly MOC) will remain board certified until the time on their certificate expires according to the certifying board’s policy. The physician’s Board Certification Credentials Profile will show “No” for Participating in Continuing Certification. The Profile also will indicate a certificate that has expired when that date has passed.
Physicians with board certifications from ABMS Member Boards that have eliminated end dates in favor of a continuing certification process could have the status of their certificate changed (according to board policy) if (1) they are not participating in continuing certification, (2) they have exhausted any grace periods related to participation, or (3) they are at the end of the cycle set by the Member Board.
With regard to physicians who have non-time limited certificates, participation in continuing certification is strongly encouraged by their certifying Member Boards. For more information, contact the Member Board regarding their policy.
When does ABMS update the information in its certification database?
The information in the ABMS certification database is supplied by the Member Boards according to their established schedule. The database is refreshed daily but occurs only after the information received from the Member Boards is thoroughly reviewed and verified by ABMS for completeness and accuracy. Once this process is complete, the information is incorporated into the database and made accessible through ABMS Solutions’ products and ABMS licensee partners. The information is displayed within the ABMS Board Certification Credentials Profile, which is officially recognized as primary source documentation by the Joint Commission, NCQA, URAC and other key accrediting agencies.
- In the case of newly certified physicians, the certifying Member Board submits information within two weeks of when the physician is formally notified, or the physician’s certification status is publicly displayed.
- Information about a physician’s continuing certification (formerly MOC) status is provided by the certifying Member Board according to their established cycle.
- Physicians also may make a request of their certifying Member Board to update personal information in their record, such as a name change or home or business address. The Member Board provides this information to ABMS.