The MOC® Program will be offered on a voluntary basis to all ABPS diplomates certified before 1995. After 1995, diplomates held 10 year time-limited certificates. Recertification began in 2003. Pending final approval by the ABMS, the transition from recertification to MOC® will occur in 2006-2007. For example, the last recertifying examination will take place in the Spring of 2006. All wishing to or required to recertify will do so through the MOC® process. For example, those certifying in 2007 will embark on a 10 year MOC cycle.
The four components will be satisfied accordingly:
- Professionalism – A full, unrestricted license to practice medicine, hospital admitting privileges to practice plastic surgery, recommendations from appropriate administrators, peer review, membership in one of the 21 sponsoring organizations of ABPS. These are to be submitted to the ABPS every two years.
- Life-long learning and self-assessment – 150 hours of CME over a three-year cycle. Self-assessment of practice will require completion of tracer procedure modules every 3 years.
- Cognitive knowledge – Once every 10 years, diplomats will be required to pass a secure computer-based examination offered in a modular format that matches the diplomate’s practice profile. Modules will probably include comprehensive plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, craniomaxillofacial surgery, and hand surgery. The examination content will be based on a pool of questions in the public domain (in-service exams, etc.). Fifty questions will be standardized across the modules and 150 questions will be unique to the module.
- Performance in practice – still under development but likely to involve participation in a national data-base that tracks outcomes and a patient satisfaction instrument developed by ABMS.
What about plastic surgeons who hold time-limited subspecialty certificates in surgery of the hand as we transition to MOC®? Currently, the ABPS plans to accept passage of the Subspecialty exam administered by the tri-partite committee of the ABS, ABOS, and the ABPS in lieu of the examination described above. There is no plan at the moment to include any core plastic surgery specific questions in this examination (as is the case with ABOS.) However, the questions for this examination will continue to be unique questions, not necessarily in the public domain.
Prepared by ASSH MOC® Committee
Last updated March 2, 2006