ABIM eliminates two-year MOC point requirement effective immediately
ABIM is eliminating the requirement to earn points every two years (2-year point requirement) to be listed as participating in Maintenance of Certification (MOC). The decision to retire the requirement was based on feedback from physicians, who said it was confusing and did not provide added value.
This programmatic change is effective immediately, meaning that diplomates who were expected to meet the 2-year point requirement by the end of 2024 are no longer required to do so. Additionally, diplomates currently reported as “Certified, Not Participating in MOC” due to missing the 2-year point requirement will have their status updated to “Certified, Participating in MOC” as long as all other MOC requirements are met.
ABIM is currently updating the Physician Portal and public website to reflect these changes, and affected diplomates will receive an email notification once they are completed.
“I have spent a lot of time listening to physicians and nearly every one of them mentioned that they are balancing many competing demands on their time,” said Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, who became President and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation on September 1. “This is one thing we feel we can take off your plate without compromising the value of the MOC program. ABIM is committed to continuing to listen to physician feedback on our programs and streamlining the process wherever possible.”
The requirement to earn 100 MOC points every five years to be reported as “Certified, Participating in MOC” still remains in effect. Points can be earned in several ways, including participating in the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) (which earns up to 24 points annually), taking the traditional, 10-year MOC exam (20 points), participating in certain CME activities that are also eligible for MOC points or becoming ABIM Board Certified in a subspecialty for the first time (100 points). If you have any questions about your requirements, we encourage you to email request@abim.org.
