MOC annual requirements!

[Mirror Form]

So I just got an email from the ABO stating that I'm required to pay 200 bucks every single year for my annual MOC requirements? WTF? Is this new? Or did I just never know about that annual requirements?

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[bucknut101]

So I just got an email from the ABO stating that I'm required to pay 200 bucks every single year for my annual MOC requirements? WTF? Is this new? Or did I just never know about that annual requirements?

Funny, I just got on here to post the same thing. I just got the email. This is freaking ridiculous! The ABO is just ripping us off. I wish we could just get everyone required to do this to refuse to pay! At the very least everyone should write a letter stating how this is BS.

 

[bucknut101]

In case anyone is wondering what the email says here ya go:

Your current certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology is time-limited for 10 years (expiration 12/31/2021), subject to renewal through the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process. Beginning in 2012, newly certified diplomates and diplomates starting a new MOC cycle will participate in MOC on an annual basis. MOC is a continuous improvement process rooted in lifelong learning and the pursuit of high standards in patient care in ophthalmology. Over a 10-year cycle, diplomates participate annually in activities that support the four parts of MOC: Professional Standing, Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment, Cognitive Expertise and Practice Assessment.

Annual participation in MOC is required and can consist of a variety of activities, including CME, self-assessment tests, focused learning modules and self-assessment of practice. Each year, you will be provided with a menu of MOC components from which to select activities reflective of your individual practice. This will allow you to create a learning and self-assessment activity program that fits your schedule and meets your professional development needs.

The 2012 annual fee for MOC participation will be $200. This fee will cover all required ABO-sponsored MOC activities, including two practice assessments, three self-assessment tests, the MOC exam and an optional patient survey tool. To pay your annual fee and submit or complete your annual MOC requirement, please log in to abop.org to view your personalized MOC Status Page. Any active link displayed on your MOC Cycle Table indicates that you may register for and proceed with that activity. Note: Upon log in, please ensure your medical license information is valid and up-to-date. Only diplomates with current and valid medical licenses may participate in MOC.


Your MOC Requirements Over Ten Years:

» 25 CME per year (including 8 Self-Assessment CME)
» 1 Practice Assessment in years 1-5
» 1 Practice Assessment in years 6-10
» 2 Self-Assessment Tests (any time)
» 1 MOC exam in years 6-10
» 1 Patient Safety module (any time)
» 1 Patient Survey (optional)



MOC at a Glance
Part 1: Professional Standing
Part 2: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment
Part 3: Cognitive Expertise
Part 4: Practice Improvement Activity

What it is:
Valid, unrestricted medical licensure in the United States or Canada.
Continued education for the life of one's practice.
Demonstration of the medical knowledge needed to practice in a contemporary manner.
Self-evaluation of current practice and a commitment to improvement.

What you need to do:
Supply up-to-date medical license information online to the ABO throughout the 10 year MOC process.
Submit 25 CME each year, including eight credits of self-assessment.
Complete one Patient Safety Activity (which may be counted toward your 25 annual CME credits) in years 1 or 2 of the MOC cycle.
Complete two online self-assessment tests over the ten-year cycle.
Pass one, closed-book, computerized examination consisting of 150 questions.
All Diplomates take one 50-item module in Core Ophthalmic Knowledge, and two 50-item modules in practice emphasis area(s) of their choosing.
Complete once between years 6-10 of the MOC cycle.
Complete a minimum of two self-review cycles of your clinical practice using current patient records.
The review will include chart abstraction, self-evaluation and peer comparison of results, development and Implementation of improvement goals, and a follow-up chart abstraction.
Complete one between Years 1-5 and the second between Years 6-10 of the MOC Cycle.



If you have questions about the MOC process, please contact the ABO Office at 610-664-1175. If you have misplaced your website login information, please use the ABO’s login retrieval tool located on the ABO homepage.

Today, patients want to know more than whether or not you’re Board Certified. They want to know how you keep up with today’s rapid advances in specialty knowledge and practice. One way for them to find out is by checking that you participate in Maintenance of Certification (MOC). The ABO’s web site now provides an easy to use search tool for patients to look up the Board Certification of their ophthalmologist or to search for Board Certified Ophthalmologists in their area. In addition to a history of your Board Certification, the search also indicates if the diplomate is participating in MOC.

Sincerely,

ABO MOC Staff

 

[Mirror Form]

Funny, I just got on here to post the same thing. I just got the email. This is freaking ridiculous! The ABO is just ripping us off. I wish we could just get everyone required to do this to refuse to pay! At the very least everyone should write a letter stating how this is BS.

Seriously! The written and oral boards were brutal enough (and expensive enough). I basically felt like the ABO was abusing me during my first two years of practice. Now with this new requirement they're screwing us over even more. And they're just doing it because they want more money and power for themselves.

I guess now that ophthalmology isn't easy money anymore, these ABO dinosaurs decided to make easy money by exploiting us.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Costs the same, all-in, as the old MOC. In the old MOC, you have to do a chart review of 15 charts in year 1-4, an open book test in years 5-7 and and a 150 question computerized test at a proctored center in years 8-10. Over the 10 year period, you have to earn 300 hours of CME. you can choose two of three subspecialty subjects in the closed-book test, and one third is general ophthalmic knowledge.

 

[Pastrami King]

Until they raise the cost in 2013, then again in 2014, etc. Note that it specifically states that the 2012 cost is 200 dollars. It would've been nice to have them lock in that rate for the next ten years.

After they take out the operating costs associated with me entering my CME this year on their website, I wonder what they'll do with the other 199 bucks.

 

[cme2c]

Costs the same, all-in, as the old MOC. In the old MOC, you have to do a chart review of 15 charts in year 1-4, an open book test in years 5-7 and and a 150 question computerized test at a proctored center in years 8-10. Over the 10 year period, you have to earn 300 hours of CME. you can choose two of three subspecialty subjects in the closed-book test, and one third is general ophthalmic knowledge.

I was just about ready to send my $750 check for my Office record review. Personally, I kind of like $200 per year. As orbitsurg said, it's basically the same cost as before. I have a feeling, I don't have that option though. Will have to go check it out I guess.

 

[odieoh]

Has anyone else considered just forgetting about this whole process? As I understand it, its kind of a huge pain. I've jumped through all the hoops so far and now I'm in the MOC phase as well. What would be the consequence of not doing it if you are established in private practice?

 

[Visionary]

Has anyone else considered just forgetting about this whole process? As I understand it, its kind of a huge pain. I've jumped through all the hoops so far and now I'm in the MOC phase as well. What would be the consequence of not doing it if you are established in private practice?

Potentially, loss of hospital privileges. Most hospitals require some sort of board certification to be credentialed. Not all, mind you, but most. Could always join Rand Paul's board.

 

[MR1]

Yeah and I have heard patients will be able to find out both if you are BC and if you are in MOC!

A small part of me worries, medicare and other insurances will start to require it as well. Hopefully I am wrong.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Has anyone else considered just forgetting about this whole process? As I understand it, its kind of a huge pain. I've jumped through all the hoops so far and now I'm in the MOC phase as well. What would be the consequence of not doing it if you are established in private practice?

If you lose your BC status, you could be dropped from active hospital staff at some hospitals (not that there is really anything great about being on a hospital staff, except some surgery centers require you have active hospital privileges as a condition of having operating privileges.) The usual result is you also get roped into taking ED call, which is a very dubious privilege, given that ED duty has long ceased to be a way to build a private practice, and is really just a tour of the community's uninsured population.

Many insurers require you to be at least board-eligible to be empaneled (again, a dubious privilege, considering how some insurers behave and treat claims.)

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Yeah and I have heard patients will be able to find out both if you are BC and if you are in MOC!

A small part of me worries, medicare and other insurances will start to require it as well. Hopefully I am wrong.

The rich irony being that grandfathered, lifetime board certificates will always remain fully certified, but the time-limited certificates will always be advertised as being in "maintenance."

"Yeah, those newer graduates are always in the shop. They don't make 'em like they used to."

No more lifetime guarantee.

 

[MR1]

Latest I have heard though is BE is going to be defined and will be for a limited time, say 7 years. After that if you aren't BC then you can't claim BE anymore!

And have heard that life time BC folks are being offered MOC, granted who would want to, but patients will be able to find out they aren't in MOC.

Just more hoops to jump through and money to bleed that I dont' have

Lastly, some on the ABO think the boards are too easy, and that maybe they should fail more folks. Hope that doesn't happen, 25-30% is enough IMHO.

 

[Visionary]

Latest I have heard though is BE is going to be defined and will be for a limited time, say 7 years. After that if you aren't BC then you can't claim BE anymore!

And have heard that life time BC folks are being offered MOC, granted who would want to, but patients will be able to find out they aren't in MOC.

Just more hoops to jump through and money to bleed that I dont' have

Lastly, some on the ABO think the boards are too easy, and that maybe they should fail more folks. Hope that doesn't happen, 25-30% is enough IMHO.

Yeah, that's ludicrous. So many of those folks seem to just love the power they have over your future. You can see it in their eyes. Personally, I think they set the fail rate so high to increase the revenue. The more times you have to sit for boards, the more money they make. But, maybe I'm just cynical. Maybe.

 

[bucknut101]

I totally understand why we need MOC. Of course its important that prove we are keeping up to date on current updates in clinical practice. But what I don't get is why the older docs were granted lifetime BC. That's a total joke. In my opinion that's the group of ophthalmolgists that needs MOC the most. Most of us that are fresh out of training are pretty up to date on current managmenent practices. And we have a wealth of knowledge from having to study for the OKAPS and boards.

For example, there is an ophthalmologist in the city I practice in who is (no kidding) 78 years old who is just absolutely horrendous. Our group sees so many disasters from his practice it nauseates me. In fact if one of his cataract surgeries doesn't have vitreous in the A/C with a single piece IOL in the sulcus it's a minor miracle. Yet this guy maintains his BC status just because he's old.

Also it must not be required by all hospitals to be board certified to have privileges. There's a D.O. ophthalmolgist that operates at one of the the hospitals I do that is listed as board elegible and he's been out of training for at least 10 years. Amazingly, I've seen his advertisement in the paper and he even mentions how he has over 10 years of experience and is "board eligible". If it were me I would be trying to hide the fact that I'm not board certified!

 

[MR1]

Yeah, that's ludicrous. So many of those folks seem to just love the power they have over your future. You can see it in their eyes. Personally, I think they set the fail rate so high to increase the revenue. The more times you have to sit for boards, the more money they make. But, maybe I'm just cynical. Maybe.

So if ~450 residency graduates sit for it and 30% fail that means about 135 will take it again. 1600 bucks x 135 poor souls = 216,000. You can't tell me that number doesn't matter. That is a quarter of a million bucks every year, not chump change.

I have heard of a guy by the way that puts 3 piece POSTERIOR IOLS in the anterior chamber if he pops capsule!

 

[bucknut101]

So if ~450 residency graduates sit for it and 30% fail that means about 135 will take it again. 1600 bucks x 135 poor souls = 216,000. You can't tell me that number doesn't matter. That is a quarter of a million bucks every year, not chump change.

I have heard of a guy by the way that puts 3 piece POSTERIOR IOLS in the anterior chamber if he pops capsule!

I mean really? Do jackass doctors that do idiotic things like this really not know any better or just not care?

 

[odieoh]

If you lose your BC status, you could be dropped from active hospital staff at some hospitals (not that there is really anything great about being on a hospital staff, except some surgery centers require you have active hospital privileges as a condition of having operating privileges.) The usual result is you also get roped into taking ED call, which is a very dubious privilege, given that ED duty has long ceased to be a way to build a private practice, and is really just a tour of the community's uninsured population.

Hmm, to me this just sweetens the deal. Don't have to pay to do MOC, don't have to jump through the hoops, and no more call. Seems like no downside.

 

[Visionary]

I totally understand why we need MOC. Of course its important that prove we are keeping up to date on current updates in clinical practice. But what I don't get is why the older docs were granted lifetime BC. That's a total joke. In my opinion that's the group of ophthalmolgists that needs MOC the most. Most of us that are fresh out of training are pretty up to date on current managmenent practices. And we have a wealth of knowledge from having to study for the OKAPS and boards.

For example, there is an ophthalmologist in the city I practice in who is (no kidding) 78 years old who is just absolutely horrendous. Our group sees so many disasters from his practice it nauseates me. In fact if one of his cataract surgeries doesn't have vitreous in the A/C with a single piece IOL in the sulcus it's a minor miracle. Yet this guy maintains his BC status just because he's old.

Also it must not be required by all hospitals to be board certified to have privileges. There's a D.O. ophthalmolgist that operates at one of the the hospitals I do that is listed as board elegible and he's been out of training for at least 10 years. Amazingly, I've seen his advertisement in the paper and he even mentions how he has over 10 years of experience and is "board eligible". If it were me I would be trying to hide the fact that I'm not board certified!

I have heard of a guy by the way that puts 3 piece POSTERIOR IOLS in the anterior chamber if he pops capsule!

Yeah, the older docs voted themselves a sweet deal. There was a community doc who staffed resident clinic periodically (warm body) at my program who used the SL for anterior segment exams and the direct for posterior segment. Never picked up an indirect. Had no SL lenses. It was laughable. I swear the 1st year residents knew more than he did.