Recently the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/ * reported: “The medical community is embroiled in a bitter debate about what board-certified physicians should be required to do to prove that their knowledge and skills are up-to-date.
Besides holding a state medical license, about 75% of U.S. doctors are certified by 24 privately run boards, signifying that they have mastered their area of specialty, in fields ranging from internal medicine to orthopedics. The specialty boards require their physicians to pass rigorous exams, generally every 10 years, to stay certified.
In recent years, those boards also have begun requiring doctors to enroll in official Maintenance of Certification programs in between exams to show they are committed to lifelong learning and quality improvement.
The American Board of Internal Medicine, the largest specialty board with more than 250,000 members, put its new MOC requirements into effect in January. Internists must earn points every two, five and 10 years by completing so-called modules on medical knowledge and practice assessment, with activities such as surveying patients on their communication skills and reviewing charts to identify ways to improve care. Board officials say the program takes five to 20 hours a year and costs $1,940 over 10 years, including the exam; or $2,260, including recertification in sub-specialties such as cardiology or pulmonology.”
“But in a flurry of angry editorials and letters to newspapers and medical journals, websites and blog posts, many doctors are deriding the MOC requirements as costly, irrelevant and time-consuming, and largely a moneymaking venture for the specialty boards.
Many contend there is no research showing that the MOC activities improve patient care and complain that they already are overburdened with paperwork, including logging many hours in continuing-education courses required to maintain their medical licenses. Those requirements are set by state medical boards and are separate from specialty-board certification.”
* to read the full WSJ article “New Learning Requirement to Maintain Certifications Called Costly, Irrelevant “ by Melinda Beck, highlight and click on open hyperlink http://online.wsj.com/articles/doctors-upset-over-skill-reviews-1405985224
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Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration
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