Is MOCA certification mandatory?

[Mman]

When does moca need to be started after initial certification?

every year. I am assuming it starts Jan 1 after your initial certification. ABA website is helpful for delineating timeline for what you have to do when during each 5 year period.

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[linglei]

every year. I am assuming it starts Jan 1 after your initial certification. ABA website is helpful for delineating timeline for what you have to do when during each 5 year period.

Yes you are right I emailed them this year is voluntary and free, I can start on Jan 1st next year and have to pay of course 🙂

 

[aneftp]

I’m sure they will plan to shorten it to 3 years cycle in the future.

It’s getting to be a joke. The crnas “recertifed” every 2 year.

The real question to ask our dear ABA board is what is the end game? If the the end game is to make docs more up to date with current medical literature. Why are those docs grandfathered? Ok. They are grandfathers. Fine. Accept that argument. Those before 2000 exempt

But what about those boarded between 2000-2020? Shouldn’t they be exempt from the 5 year cycle and maintain their 10 year cycle?

That’s where the ABA has completely lost me.

 

[GassYous]

Wait so we have to do 50 credits and do 120 moca questions a year and get 5 qi points every year???

basically they want us to shell out 300$ a year for the online simulations

 

[Xman5678]

Wait so we have to do 50 credits and do 120 moca questions a year and get 5 qi points every year???

basically they want us to shell out 300$ a year for the online simulations

 

[dannyboy1]

I’m sure they will plan to shorten it to 3 years cycle in the future.

It’s getting to be a joke. The crnas “recertifed” every 2 year.

The real question to ask our dear ABA board is what is the end game? If the the end game is to make docs more up to date with current medical literature. Why are those docs grandfathered? Ok. They are grandfathers. Fine. Accept that argument. Those before 2000 exempt

But what about those boarded between 2000-2020? Shouldn’t they be exempt from the 5 year cycle and maintain their 10 year cycle?

That’s where the ABA has completely lost me.

The end game is for them to collect money. The recertification is easy and cheap enough (and my employer pays for it so I really don’t care). As for the grandfather thing, The reason it exists is that prior to 1998 or so when you were “sold” a lifetime certification. Legally they cannot renege on that. After all, it was paid for….

 

[aneftp]

The end game is for them to collect money. The recertification is easy and cheap enough (and my employer pays for it so I really don’t care). As for the grandfather thing, The reason it exists is that prior to 1998 or so when you were “sold” a lifetime certification. Legally they cannot renege on that. After all, it was paid for….

They can change the rules anytime. Lifetime don’t mean nothing.

Just like att and cell phone companies claimed “unlimited cell phone data” and reneg on it 15 year ago. And slowly brought it back.

So legally is just a word salad. .

 

[Xman5678]

They can change the rules anytime. Lifetime don’t mean nothing.

Yup. I suspect that they were concerned about a significant fraction of Anesthesiologists lobbying ASA to sue ABA or threatening to cancel their ASA membership. Maybe even a grass roots movement to do a class action lawsuit against ABA without ASA. Easier to let the old farts be and let them fade away.

 

[OB1🤙]

I am board certified through NBPAS, and the ABA no longer recognizes my certification.

This is the way.

 

[Xman5678]

I am board certified through NBPAS, and the ABA no longer recognizes my certification.

This is the way.

The problem is that Hospitals, employers of Anesthesiologists, etc. rarely recognize NBPAS.

 

[OB1🤙]

The problem is that Hospitals, employers of Anesthesiologists, etc. rarely recognize NBPAS.

Yup. And unless you stand up for it and advocate the way I did in my facilities, it’ll never change. Nobody is going to do that work for you. But nbpas.org has plenty of resources on its website to help have those conversations with admin. Slide decks and everything.

So have fun with your moca minutes. I’ll be over here doing the cme that’s relevant to my practice 🤙.

Physicians are lemmings. They know you’re all just going to pay them the mandatory practice tax (let’s face it, that’s exactly what it is) and not fight it. They’re literally banking on it. But there is another way.

 

[pgg]

Yup. And unless you stand up for it and advocate the way I did in my facilities, it’ll never change. Nobody is going to do that work for you. But nbpas.org has plenty of resources on its website to help have those conversations with admin. Slide decks and everything.

So have fun with your moca minutes. I’ll be over here doing the cme that’s relevant to my practice 🤙.

Physicians are lemmings. They know you’re all just going to pay them the mandatory practice tax (let’s face it, that’s exactly what it is) and not fight it. They’re literally banking on it. But there is another way.

You're not wrong

But there's a cost/benefit analysis behind this decision.

I've never had a lot of love for the ABA, less when they started playing OSCE games with the oral boards, and even less after they conjured that stupid cardiac exam.

It's nice that you convinced your hospital that NBPAS is good. I hope you don't ever have to change jobs and find yourself needing to explain to a confused credentialing committee what NBPAS is and why you're not board certified by an ABMS member. It'll probably work out fine. Probably, right?

The cost/hassle of MOCA is a relatively small thing in the grand scheme. Yes, they're counting on us sheep to just pay the tax. But we sheep are getting something you're not: wide recognition and universal portability. If you don't value that, fine. But don't pretend there's no value there.

 

[Xman5678]

So have fun with your moca minutes. I’ll be over here doing the cme that’s relevant to my practice 🤙.

I am a grandfathered old fart. No MOCA minutes or worries.

Physicians are lemmings. They know you’re all just going to pay them the mandatory practice tax (let’s face it, that’s exactly what it is) and not fight it. They’re literally banking on it. But there is another way.

It is more resignation and futility. We fight lots of fights. Most of us pick our battles and this is just not a battle that we think that we can win or is worth fighting. Congrats to you for fighting and winning in your corner of the world. But you must know that you are an outlier.

 

[OB1🤙]

You're not wrong

But there's a cost/benefit analysis behind this decision.

I've never had a lot of love for the ABA, less when they started playing OSCE games with the oral boards, and even less after they conjured that stupid cardiac exam.

It's nice that you convinced your hospital that NBPAS is good. I hope you don't ever have to change jobs and find yourself needing to explain to a confused credentialing committee what NBPAS is and why you're not board certified by an ABMS member. It'll probably work out fine. Probably, right?

The cost/hassle of MOCA is a relatively small thing in the grand scheme. Yes, they're counting on us sheep to just pay the tax. But we sheep are getting something you're not: wide recognition and universal portability. If you don't value that, fine. But don't pretend there's no value there.

I practice in my hometown. I’m not going anywhere. So yeah, I get to do this and I recognize that others can’t.

But they should be able to. And if people like me didn’t stand up against a mandatory practice tax, then nobody would.

Whatever value moca may have, it has nothing to do with patient care.

 

[nimbus]

I practice in my hometown. I’m not going anywhere. So yeah, I get to do this and I recognize that others can’t.

But they should be able to. And if people like me didn’t stand up against a mandatory practice tax, then nobody would.

Whatever value moca may have, it has nothing to do with patient care.

FWIW NBPAS was started by a very well-established, very productive interventional cardiologist who has FU status and leverage within his healthcare system. Makes sense that a very high status “built the program” type physician would be the one to fight the ABMS. What works for him may not work for everyone. Also helps that we have a physician shortage. Hospitals and surgicenters are not in a position to say no.