NEW ORLEANS The American Board of Medical Specialties has approved standards to its maintenance of certification program, with a growing emphasis on more public disclosure and more evidence-based continuing medical education, said Dr. Richard E. Hawkins, ABMS senior vice president for professional and scientific affairs.
Speaking to the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, Dr. Hawkins outlined the actions taken by the ABMS Board of Directors in March.
As part of the maintenance of certification (MOC) process, physicians will now have to provide evidence of participation in practice-based assessment and quality improvement every 2 to 5 years. The ABMS is urging physicians to use nationally approved measures such as those endorsed by the National Quality Forum. By 2011, all 24 of the ABMS member boards will have to document that diplomates are meeting these requirements.
At that time, the ABMS will allow the public to see which physicians are participating in the MOC process, most likely through a searchable Web site, Dr. Hawkins said in an interview. Details on how the data will be presented are still being worked out with the 24 member boards, he said.
The ABMS Board of Directors voted to require all physicians to complete a patient safety self-assessment program at least once during each MOC cycle, beginning in 2010. Because ABMS member boards are at different stages of implementing MOC, some may not be equipped to start requiring this of their diplomates, said Dr. Hawkins. The ABMS board dubbed the patient safety program a "developmental standard," which means that it is essentially a pilot that will be reevaluated during the next 5 years.
ABMS will make modifications, if necessary, said Dr. Hawkins. Even so, the ABMS standards require this module to be in place for all diplomates by 2014, he said.
Physicians who provide direct patient care must demonstrate communication skills using patient surveys with the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems instrument, or an equivalent survey. The goal is for everyone to have the program in place by 2014, he said.
Similarly, the developmental standard on peer surveys will be implemented by member boards at their own pace, but will still be expected by 2014. Both of these survey requirements will be evaluated and updated as necessary during the next 5 years.
Dr. Hawkins said that some of the surgical boards within ABMS have been discussing the creation of a national surgical clinical registry to track surgeons' performance, a development that is "likely to happen."
Since physicians currently have to report quality data and process improvement to various agencies, the ABMS is working on ways to streamline data collection and reporting for MOC, said Dr. Hawkins.