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A new article published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by three ABIM Directors highlights how certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) have evolved to meet the changing needs of physicians over time, and how it supports them in keeping their medical knowledge current in order to provide the best possible patient care.

The authors acknowledge the challenges and burdens facing physicians today, and how ABIM has worked to garner feedback on ways it could improve its programs. Some of the changes include the introduction of the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) as a more flexible and convenient assessment option, and lowering the overall cost of MOC for physicians who are choosing it.  

Approximately 80% of ABIM-certified physicians across all disciplines are choosing the LKA over the traditional, 10-year MOC examination. The article notes that across all disciplines, 70% of diplomates agree, 16% are neutral, and 14% disagree with the statement that “the LKA is a fair assessment of clinical knowledge in this discipline.”

The authors also cite a large and growing body of published, peer-reviewed research in support of certification and MOC related to a host of important patient outcomes.  

Read the full article on the JAMA site.