Does the ABP have any plans to drop the 10 year MOC Exam?

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jp123ok

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The Anesthesiology Board has Dropped the 10-Year-MOC Exam:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/850954

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is planning to do the same:
http://www.onclive.com/web-exclusives/abim-poised-to-scrap-10-year-moc-requirements

Does anyone know if the American Board of Pathology (ABP) has any plans to drop the exam? Are they even considering this?

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I've heard it's being considered. A friend just returned from an exam in Tampa and was explicitly told that it's being strongly considered, with a move to the anesthesiology model the replacement. In the next few weeks someone from ABP is presenting at the NAME meeting in North Carolina on the topic of MOC so I shall share what was said in that public forum upon my return home.
 
The anesthesia model does not really appeal to me. Having to log on each week and answer a question in a minute? What about people who have already taken the MOC exam? Our MOC is pretty benign as it is. Other than the exam and getting a few colleagues to take a 4 question survey about me, I really don't have to do anything else than I would otherwise do by having a job. I think having the same exam but allowing you take it at home or office would go along way.
 
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The anesthesia model does not really appeal to me. Having to log on each week and answer a question in a minute? What about people who have already taken the MOC exam? Our MOC is pretty benign as it is. Other than the exam and getting a few colleagues to take a 4 question survey about me, I really don't have to do anything else than I would otherwise do by having a job. I think having the same exam but allowing you take it at home or office would go along way.
Thanks for the reminder. I heard Dr. Johnson speak earlier this week in North Carolina at the NAME meeting. The anesthesia model is being considered. She spoke about that only briefly. As I understood her words, they are considering something like anesthesia, and if the diplomate did well enough over an X-year period, that person could alleviate having to do the 10 year exam. Doesn't sound like this will happen anytime before 2020 though.

She also spoke to testing away from Tampa. Sounds like the ABP board gets how much people are annoyed by that in 2015. She spoke about their trying to use a testing center, but not being satisfied that the monitors would be good enough for photomicrographs. She mentioned their working towards remote testing that would involve a web camera that would the tester would pan around the room, and then leave on during the entire exam. Suspicious behaviour would buy the tester additional scrutiny and possible a trip to Tampa. The exam cost would go up a bit from the current $500, something I'd gladly take since a Tampa trip and hotel would cost me around $1500CAD at present.

I also tend to agree with univlad. Our MOC is relatively benign and inexpensive, at least compared to other specialities. I also agree that aside from the letters and the exam, the other stuff is things most of us should already be doing anyway.
 
What's the point of MOC? What does the MOC prove? Is there any relationship between MOC and the practice of pathology when there are exempt practitioners who probably should be tested?

The questions to qualify for the testing is ridiculous... kind of seems a bit communist in styling. What is Johnson and company doing with all the money they are making from the fees? Why are people signing up for MOC when they are exempting people from this test? This seems too intrusive and useless.

Also, is the ABP testing the capability of new Pathologists being ordained or what? I am not sure that they are doing a good enough job when the ABP is testing on memorization skills with translocations and useless esoterica. The only thing that matters is arriving at the correct diagnosis, the molecular and minutiae like that should be limited because a lab can just create reflex panels for particular diagnosis, if there is some available treatment or clinical use for it.
 
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Since we are all supposed to practice "evidence based medicine" and "add value", I would like to see where the evidence is that MOC "adds value" to the patient experience.

I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and bet that flying my arse to Tampa every so often benefits no one other than the travel industry and ABP regulators.

Matter of fact, all regulation should have to have high levels of evidence behind it. Instead we get some tyrant's "great idea" that inflicts pain and expense upon us all!!!
 
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There is no data that MOC improves or even maintains patient care. Zero.
 
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Thanks for the reminder. I heard Dr. Johnson speak earlier this week in North Carolina at the NAME meeting. The anesthesia model is being considered. She spoke about that only briefly. As I understood her words, they are considering something like anesthesia, and if the diplomate did well enough over an X-year period, that person could alleviate having to do the 10 year exam. Doesn't sound like this will happen anytime before 2020 though.

She also spoke to testing away from Tampa. Sounds like the ABP board gets how much people are annoyed by that in 2015. She spoke about their trying to use a testing center, but not being satisfied that the monitors would be good enough for photomicrographs. She mentioned their working towards remote testing that would involve a web camera that would the tester would pan around the room, and then leave on during the entire exam. Suspicious behaviour would buy the tester additional scrutiny and possible a trip to Tampa. The exam cost would go up a bit from the current $500, something I'd gladly take since a Tampa trip and hotel would cost me around $1500CAD at present.

I also tend to agree with univlad. Our MOC is relatively benign and inexpensive, at least compared to other specialities. I also agree that aside from the letters and the exam, the other stuff is things most of us should already be doing anyway.

Lots of new information in the Board's Newest Newsletter

http://www.abpath.org/images/newsletters/2015-2ABPExaminer.pdf


LONGITUDINAL FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT- ABMS MOC PART III PILOT


The ABP is pleased to announce that we have been selected by ABMS to be one of four boards participating in a pilot for MOC Part III. The details of this program are still being formulated and a software vendor being identified. It is anticipated that the pilot will begin in 2017. The pilot, as currently envisioned, will have the ABP sending periodic questions to participating diplomates, possibly weekly. The diplomates can log in to answer the question any time during the week and will have a defined amount of time to answer the question (e.g. 1-2 minutes). After answering the question, the diplomate receives immediate feedback on the correct answer, with an explanation for the answer and references. This pilot is anticipated to be similar to the American Board of Anesthesiology’s MOCA minute pilot. The results of our pilot will be researched and, if deemed a valid assessment, could potentially replace the MOC once every ten-year exam. The pilot is based on the concept of continuous assessment of knowledge and learning from the questions (formative assessment) over several years, with the ability for diplomates to recognize gaps in medical knowledge. This pilot will also allowing diplomates to demonstrate to the ABP sufficient medical knowledge for safe and effective practice (summative assessment). The short-term and long-term challenges for this type of assessment will be to have sufficient questions and relevant questions for diplomates with such varied practices in pathology. We will be welcoming input from our diplomates about this pilot.


FORENSIC PATHOLOGY MOC SUBSPECIALTY EXAM


The ABP CEO attended the annual 2015 National Association of Medical Examiners meeting and heard feedback from our diplomates about the relevance of the questions on their primary (APCP or AP) mandatory 50 question MOC exam modules. In response to this legitimate concern, forensic pathologists taking the 2016 spring (and thereafter) MOC exam will be able to choose a single 200 question MOC Forensic Pathology + primary certification exam. This exam will include clinical pathology questions that are relevant to forensic pathology, allowing a diplomate to meet the Part III MOC requirements for both primary and forensic pathology continuing certification. Forensic pathologists will still have the option to select a 50 question mandatory module in their area of primary certification + the 150 question Forensic Pathology subspecialty exam, graded as a single 200 question exam (but why would they want to?).
 
Lots of new information in the Board's Newest Newsletter

http://www.abpath.org/images/newsletters/2015-2ABPExaminer.pdf


LONGITUDINAL FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT- ABMS MOC PART III PILOT


The ABP is pleased to announce that we have been selected by ABMS to be one of four boards participating in a pilot for MOC Part III. The details of this program are still being formulated and a software vendor being identified. It is anticipated that the pilot will begin in 2017. The pilot, as currently envisioned, will have the ABP sending periodic questions to participating diplomates, possibly weekly. The diplomates can log in to answer the question any time during the week and will have a defined amount of time to answer the question (e.g. 1-2 minutes). After answering the question, the diplomate receives immediate feedback on the correct answer, with an explanation for the answer and references. This pilot is anticipated to be similar to the American Board of Anesthesiology’s MOCA minute pilot. The results of our pilot will be researched and, if deemed a valid assessment, could potentially replace the MOC once every ten-year exam. The pilot is based on the concept of continuous assessment of knowledge and learning from the questions (formative assessment) over several years, with the ability for diplomates to recognize gaps in medical knowledge. This pilot will also allowing diplomates to demonstrate to the ABP sufficient medical knowledge for safe and effective practice (summative assessment). The short-term and long-term challenges for this type of assessment will be to have sufficient questions and relevant questions for diplomates with such varied practices in pathology. We will be welcoming input from our diplomates about this pilot.


FORENSIC PATHOLOGY MOC SUBSPECIALTY EXAM


The ABP CEO attended the annual 2015 National Association of Medical Examiners meeting and heard feedback from our diplomates about the relevance of the questions on their primary (APCP or AP) mandatory 50 question MOC exam modules. In response to this legitimate concern, forensic pathologists taking the 2016 spring (and thereafter) MOC exam will be able to choose a single 200 question MOC Forensic Pathology + primary certification exam. This exam will include clinical pathology questions that are relevant to forensic pathology, allowing a diplomate to meet the Part III MOC requirements for both primary and forensic pathology continuing certification. Forensic pathologists will still have the option to select a 50 question mandatory module in their area of primary certification + the 150 question Forensic Pathology subspecialty exam, graded as a single 200 question exam (but why would they want to?).

I'm generally pleased with the changes that have been made, in part because I do not expect them to drop the exam requirement (if that happens, lovely, but I'm not holding my breath). I have a few years until it's my turn, but I'm glad they're going to offer subspecialty-specific general questions. It remains to be seen what exactly that means. Sometimes the ABP's definition of a subspecialty question is kind of silly. I remember on my FP exam a question that was pretty much medical dermpath, but the question read something like "you identify this lesion on a multiple GSW victim... what is it?". On the exam I offered my best guess. In real life the answer is, to quote Triumph the comic dog, "who gives a ****?".
 
Who wants to do this crap weekly? Monthly would make sense. But weekly? I don't want to log in on vacation just to appease the ABP.
 
I was assuming/hoping there wouldn't be an every week requirement. More like, they offer it weekly and we're required to do 40 in a 52 week period or something like that.
 
I was assuming/hoping there wouldn't be an every week requirement. More like, they offer it weekly and we're required to do 40 in a 52 week period or something like that.
I think with the anesthesia MOC, a question comes out weekly, and you have to do so many per quarter.
 
I will sue the ABP'a asses off if they take away my board certification based on some non evidence based token test. They have no high level evidence that this test nor any of their MOC garbage should be able to restrict a man's ability to provide for his family.
 
Kinda like I figured, it's a joke that is a pain in the ass and a money maker for the ABP and an appeasement for a know-nothing lay community.

Well at least we can take it without going to Tampa now. Overall, the cost is low compared to some other specialties and if we're going to mandated to do MOC at least ours is relatively painless. I'd hate for people to complain and have it turned into something more 'meaningful' that means jumping through even more hoops.

The exam was relatively easy and now we don't even have to travel for it. By doing my normal CME activities, I have all the SAM and CME requirements fulfilled by April of the first year of the two year cycle. The quality component is easily filled by being on a hospital committee, passing the cytology proficiency exam, or subscribing to a slide study set which most hospitals do anyway. The only real hoop to jump through is filling out the paper work which doesn't take too long and getting people to fill out the short 5 question online survey about you.

I'd say we have it easy and it's not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.
 
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