A survey of 515 U.S. physicians by MDLinx revealed that 65 percent want to see the 10-year maintenance of certification (MOC) process ended because it adds no clinical value to the practice of medicine.
The recent survey, reported in FierceHealthcare, found that almost 55 percent of respondents want to see those controversial MOC requirements revoked, while 48.5 percent said they would prefer more continuing medical education hours replace the current MOC recertification process.
Additionally, 26.8 percent said they want to see MOC made more affordable.
Among physicians surveyed, which included both primary care physicians and specialists, 73 percent reported taking some form of MOC exam — either the traditional 10-year exam to recertify or a newer two-year “knowledge check-in” option. Only 10 percent of survey respondents said they have let their MOC expire.
Comments were split between a minority who think the process is useful in verifying doctors stay current in their practice of medicine and others who say MOC is an expensive, time-consuming drain.
Grassroots doctor organizations have sprung up to press state legislations to adopt laws that ease or eliminate MOC requirements. In the survey, 26.8 percent said they want to see MOC made more affordable.
FierceHealthcare reported as of May, seven states require that insurance companies, licensing boards, hospitals or healthcare systems not penalize physicians who do not take an MOC exam.
But that’s also created confusion for some, as 56 percent of survey participants reported being uninformed about current MOC requirements in their state of practice. While 23 percent of surveyed physicians practice in a state that does not require MOC, only 70 percent of them are aware of that fact.
Some certifying boards are making changes. For instance, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is launching a pilot program that allows physicians to take the exam online, as well as allowing doctors to use clinical references to answer questions as they do in practice.
The American Board of Family Medicine has created an alternative option to the 10-year exam starting in 2019. The ABFM will being pilot-testing the option, which will allow physicians to answer 25 online questions each quarter (see article above). Doctors would be able to take the test at a time and place of their choosing and also be able to refer back to clinical references during the exam. VTN
