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 2-5 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. In recognition of this, 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.
The ABMS will be looking at what works and what doesn't, and 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.
The board also approved another pilot standard: Beginning in 2010, physicians who provide direct patient care will be required to submit patient surveys using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems instrument, or an equivalent survey that's judged acceptable by the ABMS Committee on Monitoring and Oversight of the MOC. This is to demonstrate communication skills. Again, not all 24 member boards are ready to start requiring this, but the goal is for everyone to have the program in place by 2014, said Dr. Hawkins.
Similarly, the developmental standard on peer surveys—requiring physicians to participate beginning in 2012—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 individual 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. The ABMS also is in discussions with insurers, government agencies, and purchasers to determine how to make MOC more valuable to those entities, he said.
In a statement issued by the ABMS, Dr. Kevin Weiss, ABMS president and CEO, echoed that sentiment. “Ultimately, it's our patients and the public of this country for whom these principles were developed to ensure they are receiving high-quality health care,” he said.