Update on ASH’s Efforts Related to ABIM MOC

Since ASH’s letter to the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in September 2023 to overhaul the entire Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program, I’ve heard from a few of you wondering where we currently stand with this work. I’m proud to say that we’ve continued to aggressively advocate on your behalf and are making slow but steady progress.?

In October 2023, ASH convened 12 internal medicine subspecialty organizations to share our concerns, align efforts, and strategize to urge ABIM to make significant changes to the current MOC program. In the near term, our collective goal is to make the following immediate changes to the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA), while continuing to push for more foundational changes to MOC:??

• Remove or drastically increase time limits to answer each question;?
• Reduce the number of questions physicians receive every three months to no more than 15;?
• Allow physicians to consult a colleague when answering questions; and?
• Eliminate redundancy between the MOC requirement to have a current license (which requires CME in almost all U.S. jurisdictions) and the requirement to report CME to ABIM.?

This group, which has grown to include 14 internal medicine subspecialty societies, has met nearly monthly over the past eight months and brought our concerns to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the organization overseeing ABIM and all other certifying boards, in addition to meeting with ABIM leadership to ask tough questions about their stance and policies surrounding MOC, CME, and assessments.??

ABIM recently announced that a new hematology-focused LKA for malignant and classical hematology will launch in 2026. This long-awaited enhancement to the LKA is the direct result of ASH’s previous work to address member concerns regarding the lack of relevance of ABIM assessments. In 2020 ASH partnered with ABIM and funded a national practice profile study of more than 2,000 board-certified hematologists. The goal of the study was to identify the top three to five most common areas of specialization within the field of hematology. Based on data gathered, three hematology profiles were identified and are currently being developed by ABIM: malignant hematology, classical (non-malignant) hematology, and general hematology (covering both malignant and classical hematology). These profiles were to be included in the ABIM Hematology LKA in 2024, but ABIM has delayed the availability of these three profiles until 2026.?

While ASH welcomes ABIM’s long overdue announcement, we regret that our members will still need to wait nearly two more years before having the option to select their area of specialization as part of the LKA pathway.?

ASH believes that substantial efforts are still required to achieve comprehensive improvements, and I’m proud to share that I am leading ASH’s Continuing Certification Task Force. This task force provides guidance to the ASH Executive Committee on issues related to continuing board certification, including the development of ASH’s position regarding ABIM’s and ABMS’ policies and programs. I am joined by six of my colleagues:??

• Srinivas Devarakonda, MD?
• Janice Lawson, MD?
• Richard Lin, MD, PhD?
• Martha Mims, MD, PhD?
• Rachel Rosovsky, MD, MPH?
• Robert Stern, MD, EdM?

While I am pleased to report that incremental steps have been made, ASH is still not satisfied with where things currently stand. I want to assure you that ASH is committed to working with other medical specialty societies to make the certification process better for our members.?

You can read more about our efforts since July 2023 to overhaul MOC at www.hematology.org/moc.?

Sincerely,?

Robert A. Brodsky, MD? Chair of the Continuing Certification Task Force and 2023 ASH President?

READ ASH'S FORMAL LETTER TO ABIM?

View the Latest Updates?|?View the ASH Principles for MOC?