Your MOC Status is Going Public This Year

MOC participants must be registered with the ABOS

Jennie McKee

Starting this September, your Maintenance of Certification (MOC) status will be a matter of public record. The MOC status of board-certified orthopaedists will be shown on the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Certification Matters website at www.certificationmatters.org

Any AAOS members who are currently participating in the ABOS MOC program but have not yet registered with the ABOS should immediately go to the ABOS website (www.abos.org) and register to ensure they will be listed online as MOC participants.

Background and rationale
As noted by ABOS Executive Director Shepard R. Hurwitz, MD, the impetus for public reporting of MOC status comes from the ABMS—an organization of 24 medical specialty certifying boards, including the ABOS.

“The ABMS began the initial rollout of the public reporting program in August 2011, when seven member boards began to publicly display whether the physicians they certify are meeting their MOC requirements,” said Dr. Hurwitz. “One year later—in August 2012—11 more ABMS member boards began to publicly report whether the physicians they certify are meeting their MOC requirements. The ABOS joins this initiative this year.”

According to the ABMS, since it launched www.CertificationMatters.org in February 2011, more than 1.1 million people have visited the website to determine whether a physician is board-certified by an ABMS member board. Information about the physician’s MOC status has been added as ABMS member boards have joined in the initiative.

It’s not just YES or NO
Currently, users can visit www.CertificationMatters.org to search for physicians by first/last name, location, and/or specialty to determine whether the physician is certified by an ABMS member board.

This fall, the following information about the ABOS MOC process will also be listed for orthopaedists:

“Yes” or “No” response regarding whether an orthopaedist is meeting the MOC requirements of the ABOS
Status of all specialty certificates, as well as subspecialty certificates in surgery of the hand and/or orthopaedic sports medicine
Message stating that some physicians achieved board certification before their ABMS boards established an MOC program, and these physicians are therefore not required to participate in MOC to maintain their board certification. Users will also receive directions on how to obtain information about whether a specific physician is required to participate in MOC.

Register now
According to Dr. Hurwitz, AAOS fellows who have a time-limited certificate, no matter when it expires, should be registered as participants in MOC. Even fellows with lifetime certificates may register with the ABOS to participate in MOC. Because lifetime certificate holders are under no obligation to complete the process with a recertifying exam, they can decide whether to take the recertifying exam in the future.

“If MOC participation is required as a condition of licensure or credentialing, it is important to be listed online as an MOC participant,” said Dr. Hurwitz. “For that to happen, AAOS fellows must register for MOC with the ABOS and must meet their MOC requirements.”

To register, visit the ABOS online at www.abos.org and click on the “Sign up for MOC” button. Follow the prompts to register as an MOC participant. If you have questions about MOC, stop by the ABOS booth, located in Academy Hall B.

2013 Annual Meeting News
Tuesday through Friday, February 19 – 23, 2013.
http://www.aaos.org/news/acadnews/2013/AAOS13_3_20.asp