On April 20, 2021, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) released their “Draft Standards for Continuing Certification – Call for Comments.” Major changes include reducing the board recertification period from 10 years to no more than five years and diminishing the emphasis on the practice exam. In addition to releasing the draft standards, ABMS is seeking input and feedback from stakeholders through Thursday, July 8, 2021, at 11:59 PM CST.
ABMS is an umbrella organization that represents 24 specialty boards across the country and establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and assessment programs used to certify diplomate specialists. The draft standards proposed by ABMS reflect “foundational changes” to the way in which ABMS and Member Boards deliver on their mission and bring value to the profession and public.
Some of the proposed “foundational changes” to the board certification processes and programs are detailed below.
Certification Status
The proposed changes revise board certification cycles from the current ten-year cycle to a cycle not to exceed five year for diplomates, physicians who are board certified by one or more of the ABMS member boards. This change also requires member boards to determine at intervals no longer than five years whether a physician is maintaining his or her board certification.
Holders of Multiple Certificates
The proposed changes make it easier for diplomates to hold multiple board certifications through streamlined requirements, which will minimize duplication of effort for diplomates who hold multiple certificates. The changes also require Member Boards to work with ABMS when it takes actions on the certification status of a diplomate who holds multiple certificates and notify other Member Boards of the action taken.
Lifelong Learning
ABMS seems to be embracing lifelong learning and validated assessments of learning. In addition to keeping the practice exam as an option for diplomates to maintain certification, ABMS is advocating for test questions to be dispersed throughout the learning activities over time.
In addition, ABMS is focused on practice-specific conduct that is clinically relevant to the diplomates and in programs that assess knowledge and support learning while helping physicians stay current in their area of practice.
Use of Assessment Results in Determining Certification Decisions
ABMS notes that continuing certification assessments of Member Boards must meet appropriate psychometric standards to support making defensible, summative decisions via test questions that make sense and resonate with a diplomate’s practice. Additionally, assessments include diplomate feedback strategies and support learning opportunities to address identified deficits, including identifying areas of strengths and weakness with links to resources for learning and improvement (where possible. Boards should collaborate with educational providers to address major public health priorities and frequently occurring deficits within and across specialties.
Advancing the Review of Professional Standing
Under the proposed changes, Member Boards must solicit and review information regarding licensure in every state which the diplomate holds a medical license. The primary source verification of licensure must occur annually and Member Boards must require that diplomates report any action taken against them and any events that affect professional standing within a defined period.
Member Boards may also choose other methods of evaluation, including but not limited to, peer review, case logs, restrictions on prescribing privileges for controlled substances, suspension (or other actions by CMS and other government agencies), indictment, conviction, or guilty pleas for felonies.
Professionalism policies must be readily accessible for physicians and their practices.
Advancing Engagement in Improving Health and Healthcare
ABMS advocates for Member Boards working in collaboration to adopt an overall collaborative quality agenda for improving care and provide a set of high-value priorities and improvement targets. their requirements with physicians’ daily practices and required activities mandated by their hospitals, health systems, payers, and other groups so that physicians can apply their improvement activities to multiple purposes.
Boards should also align quality and safety priorities with CPD programs and longitudinal assessment programs as well as engage diplomates in activities that align with their local practice setting and address disparities in patient care.
Comment Submission
To review and comment on the draft standards, click here. Comments can be submitted here no later than 11:59 PM CST on July 8, 2021.