ABIM’s LKA: A Success Because of You
Not long after announcing that we’d be creating a longitudinal assessment, ABIM got to work developing an engagement plan to ensure the new option would meet the needs of today’s practicing physicians. This included establishing a Physician Advisory Panel of 10 board certified physicians who met on a monthly basis to share feedback on a variety of areas, such as the assessment platform, communications materials, and other program design elements. We also gleaned physician insights through surveys, interviews, our society partners, and your emails and phone calls.
Thanks to your feedback and guidance, all of this work culminated in the successful launch of the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKATM) in January 2022.
Thousands of physicians have already enrolled and answered questions, and we’ve been hearing a lot of positive feedback, including the following messages from these physicians:
“I really like that I can look things up while I’m taking questions. Usually I’ll have the LKA questions up on my laptop, and have my iPhone with UpToDate open next to me. It’s a good process since I’ll find out if I got most questions right or wrong immediately – and for those I got wrong, I remember them when I see patients in clinic.”
Ishmael Jaiyesimi, DO
“The LKA is such a refreshing way of learning while maintaining my ABIM Board Certification. It will help us know what we know, and know what we don’t, so we can focus our educational efforts and immediately put that learning into practice.”
Tulika Singh, MD, MHA, AAHIVS, FACP
“I just had my first day with the LKA. Eureka! ABIM found the right way for its diplomates to learn internal medicine and become knowledgeable physicians with ongoing day to day learning. The admirable thing is that one has time after attempting the question to learn more about the topic using their preferred personal resources. I think you’ve got it! My full support for the LKA!”
A board certified internist
With several weeks still to go in the first quarter, a look at the numbers further demonstrates the positive reception from the community:
- 20,758 physicians are currently enrolled, using the LKA to maintain 22,035 certificates (1,210 physicians have enrolled in the LKA for more than one discipline) out of a possible 48,236 certifications
- 29% of enrolled diplomates have answered all of the first quarter’s questions
- 40% of those enrolled have answered at least some questions
If you’re interested in participating in the LKA and due for an assessment this year, there’s still time as the first quarter is open until March 31, at which time those questions will expire. You can enroll after March 31, however you will start with 30 questions already deducted from the 100 total you can choose not to open over your 5-year cycle. The last day to enroll in LKA in 2022 is June 30.
Please note you can only start the LKA in your assessment due year, and you should start it early in that calendar year so you do not inadvertently miss any questions. And remember, because a pass/fail decision isn’t made until the end of 5 years, as long as you are already certified and continue to meet the LKA Participation Requirement and any other MOC requirements, you’ll continue to be reported as certified the entire time. Even better, the LKA is included at no extra charge as part of your MOC fees.
Learn more about the LKA’s features, benefits, and other important details in this new demo video, or at abim.org/lka. To enroll, sign in to your personalized ABIM Physician Portal.
Thank you for making the LKA a success!
