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CHICAGO – New flexibility should help make maintenance of certification efforts a bit more palatable for psychiatrists, according to Dr. Larry Faulkner, president and CEO fo the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Key changes include a more-relaxed approach to how psychiatrists and neurologists can complete the feedback module and the waiving of some continuing medical education credit hours upon completion of certain peer review activities, Dr. Faulkner said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The modifications come in response to new maintenance of certification (MOC) standards by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) that go into effect in 2015.
Alicia Gallegos/Frontline Medical News
Dr. Larry Faulkner
“We are trying to make sure our program is credible, but at the same time, we don’t want the program to be so exhausting that it brings people to their knees in order to accomplish our program,” Dr. Faulkner said. “We’re trying to strike this balance.”
The ABPN’s MOC program consists of four components: professional standing; self-assessment and continuing medication education (CME); cognitive expertise; and performance in practice (PIP). PIP units require two modules – clinical and feedback. The feedback module now can be fulfilled by completing a patient survey, a peer survey, an institutional peer review of general competencies, supervisor evaluations of general competencies, resident evaluations of general competencies, or a 360-degree evaluation of general competencies.
Additionally, some required CME credits to be waived for completing a non-CME self-assessment activity, Dr. Faulkner said. Diplomates are required to complete an average of 30 specialty and/or subspecialty CME credits averaged over 3 years. At least eight credits per year, averaged over 3 years, must involve self-assessment. In summer 2014, ABPN decided it would waive eight CME credits for such activities as passing an ABPN cognitive certification or recertification examination; receiving documented feedback on an approved scientific grant application. or by receiveing documented feedback on an academic/scientific journal article accepted for publication. The ABPN will waive a maximum of 16 self-assessment CME credits for two different non-CME self-assessment activities in a 3-year MOC block. Other options for receiving waived credits are listed on the ABPN’s website.
Dr. Faulkner acknowledged that many physicians have expressed dissatisfaction over MOC and its validity. In June, physicians at the American Medical Association House of Delegates meeting spoke out about MOC being too expensive, too lengthy, and having too little value. The AMA delegates defeated a resolution that asked the organization to put a moratorium on MOC until it was proven to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes. However, delegates agreed to directing the AMA to explore the feasibility of a study to evaluate the effect MOC requirements and maintenance of licensure principles have on workforce, practice costs, patient outcomes, patient safety, and patient access.
Despite some negative sentiments, Dr. Faulkner stressed that MOC is not going away, and that physicians should view the process as a way to demonstrate efforts of their ongoing professional learning.
“I’ve never heard somebody deny that life-long learning is important,” he said. “Maintenance of certification is a little more than a formal way for you to document your life-long learning efforts, and I would encourage you to think of maintenance of certification in that vein.”
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