Hematology Board Meeting Summary | Spring 2024

July 2, 2024 | Posted by ABIM | Specialty Board Meeting Summaries

*Morie Gertz, MD, MACP, Chair of the Hematology Board*

The Hematology Board held its spring meeting on Tuesday, May 14. 2024. The agenda provided an opportunity to update the Specialty Board on activity at ABIM and allowed for discussion of pressing issues in the field. The Hematology Board was joined for a portion of the meeting* by staff from the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

The following is a summary of the spring meeting.

Conversation with the President*

Prior to the meeting, members of the Hematology Board and society staff had the opportunity to view a video update from Richard J. Baron, MD, MACP, President and Chief Executive Officer of ABIM and ABIM Foundation, reflecting on current issues for ABIM and the internal medicine community, including:

The ongoing collaboration between ABIM and internal medicine societies to address their members’ concerns and feedback about the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. More than 30 societies met with ABIM in fall 2023, in addition to ongoing discussions throughout the year. In part, the collaboration also explores the need for focused assessments in select subdomains of specific specialties where enough physicians are focusing their practice. Focused assessments have already launched in sleep medicine and internal medicine, with more to come in the future, including hematology in 2026.
ABIM’s work to mitigate the spread and negative impact of misinformation for physicians and patients. Most recently, ABIM updated the way it reports certification status for physicians to be more transparent about why some certificates are no longer active, such as being “Revoked,” “Suspended” or “Lapsed.”
The establishment of a dedicated innovation team at ABIM to explore how emerging technology and artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to assess physicians in the rapidly evolving context of their requisite skills and practice environments.
Dr. Baron’s approaching retirement later this year, the Board of Directors’ search for a new CEO and ABIM’s transition to new leadership. (As of the time of this report, the new CEO has been announced.)

Morie Gertz, MD, MACP, Chair of the Hematology Board, continued discussion on recent criticism of ABIM and the MOC program, and the opportunity for individual specialty societies to engage with physicians on these topics. Dr. Baron acknowledged the challenges of responding to criticisms, noting especially that ASH has expressed its members’ concerns to ABIM with suggestions for changes, and that there is a need for broader perspectives within the internal medicine community. ABIM has most recently been collaborating with ASH on exploring the need for and development of focused assessments (see below).

Regarding the development of new versions of the Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA^®) announced in March, some Specialty Board members raised concerns about discipline-specific expectations and correcting misconceptions about what the new versions would be. They suggested solutions such as communicating that the questions would still cover the breadth of the discipline of hematology (but with more questions on classical or malignant hematology) and strategies for disseminating information through letters and community discussions to dispel rumors and misinformation.

The group also discussed the opportunities and pitfalls of using social media to share information and engage with the community, and the suggestion of creating a space at the ASH annual meeting for Hematology Board members to meet and engage with ASH members as a collaborative and educational opportunity.

Additional suggestions from Specialty Board members included the idea of amplifying patient voices in highlighting the value of continued learning and certification for physicians and reassessing how ABIM measures knowledge to focus more on application than memorization in an age of increased availability of information online.

Finally, Dr. Gertz mentioned a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that examined half a million hospitalizations and the performance of nearly 7,000 newly trained hospitalists who treated Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries over three years. The study concludes that higher certification exam scores, not Milestone ratings—even the Milestone rating for medical knowledge alone which was designed to measure the same competency as the exam—are associated with fewer patient deaths and readmissions.

ABIM and Physician Feedback*

Though ABIM has long prioritized physician feedback in shaping its programs, the organization has placed renewed emphasis on addressing elements of the certification program that can and should be improved, as well as fostering the community’s perception of the value of certification and physician pride in maintaining certification. Richard G. Battaglia, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer for ABIM, gave the Hematology Board an overview of recent physician feedback and actions that ABIM is considering, and invited the group to share their ideas and suggestions for ABIM to consider as it continues working with societies, diplomates and the broader internal medicine community.

One point of discussion was feedback from diplomates regarding the use of AI in assessments. ABIM’s policy is that any reference other than another physician is acceptable for answering LKA questions.

Other feedback centered on improving accessibility, addressing inefficiencies in the ABIM website design and simplifying processes for diplomates to make it easier for them to navigate the certification and MOC process. Dr. Battaglia shared that in response to feedback, and encouraged by the Board of Directors, ABIM is at work on redesign efforts to address many issues of this nature.

Specialty Board Oversight of Assessments*

ABIM’s Specialty Boards are responsible for reviewing and approving the assessment blueprints and standards for certification, MOC and the LKA in their respective disciplines. Each spring, the Specialty Boards review data related to the population of new graduates entering the discipline, diplomates maintaining their certification, workforce information, and assessment performance trends and feedback. Periodic review of these data helps to inform the Specialty Boards’ assessment decisions. The Hematology Board discussed assessment data in the discipline and provided feedback to ABIM staff about which data were most helpful for ongoing oversight of assessment. Some of the data the Specialty Board reviewed are publicly available on ABIM’s website, including:

Members of the Specialty Board raised questions about some additional data. They discussed statistics from the National Residency Match Program (NRMP), which indicate an increase in the total number of training programs and that 99% (750) of positions were filled, including those filled through the supplemental offer and acceptance program.

Update on Focused Assessments in Hematology*

ABIM currently offers focused versions of its assessments in internal medicine (the Internal Medicine: Inpatient LKA and traditional, 10-year MOC exam) and sleep medicine (the Sleep Medicine LKA: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Emphasis). Additional explorations have begun in gastroenterology and hematology with plans announced in March to develop malignant- and classical-focused versions of the Hematology LKA (in addition to the general Hematology LKA), slated to launch in 2026. ABIM plans to continue exploring the idea of focused assessments in other specialties with stakeholder input at multiple levels, including that of the other Specialty Boards, to determine whether focused assessments are appropriate in those disciplines. During this session, staff presented an update about progress on the development of the new versions of the Hematology LKA.

One of the concerns raised in discussion was clear communication about progress to diplomates, with suggestions to explore alternative methods (outside of email) to ensure clarity and broader reach, such as the ABIM Physician Portal. The group agreed on the importance of transparency, easily accessible information and improving the user experience to be as simple as possible. Dr. Battaglia agreed on the need for better education on using the Portal and touched on the importance of engaging with early career physicians to address concerns and create improvements. He stressed that ABIM is actively working on effecting improvements across the user experience journey, including the website and other touchpoints, to directly address this and other feedback already received.

Society guests departed at this point in the meeting.

Update on the Hematology Approval Committees

Ming Lim, MD, the University of Utah; Chair of the Hematology LKA Approval Committee

Robert T. Means, Jr., MD, East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine; Chair of the Hematology Traditional, 10-Year MOC Exam Approval Committee

ABIM Approval Committees are responsible for approving and editing all assessment content, and maintaining the blueprints for the Initial Certification Examination, the MOC Examination and the LKA. There are two ABIM Approval Committees working with the Hematology Board: the Traditional, 10-Year MOC Exam Approval Committee (which also deals with the initial certification exam) and the LKA Approval Committee. Dr. Lim and Dr. Means provided brief updates for the Specialty Board on the composition of the Approval Committees, progress on item development in meetings this year and news about the Item-Writing Task Force.

Recommendation of Candidates for the Specialty Board to ABIM Council

Each year, ABIM initiates the process to recruit for openings on the Specialty Boards; each member serves a three-year term with the option for one renewal, and positions open on a rolling basis each year. Openings are posted publicly on the website and shared with stakeholder groups. Upon completion of the application process, the Specialty Board chair reviews all applications and asks members of the Specialty Board to conduct candidate interviews and make recommendations. Special attention is paid to the composition of each Specialty Board, such as practice setting and region, career stage, educational background (U.S., international) and race and ethnicity. Final selections are made by the ABIM Council based on the Specialty Board’s top two recommendations.

At the spring meeting, the Hematology Board discussed the most recent opening for an interprofessional health care team member with experience in hematology for a term beginning July 1, 2024. The opening was posted on ABIM’s website in July 2023 and applications were accepted through mid-September. They discussed the candidates they had interviewed and voted on two to recommend to the Council.

Following this meeting, the Council appointed Shaina Rozell, MD, MPH, of Affiliated Oncologists in Chicago Ridge, Illinois, to serve as a new member of the Hematology Board starting in July.

Look for emails announcing openings on other ABIM Specialty Boards this summer and on Approval Committees in the fall. Visit ABIM’s website for a full list of current openings.

New Ways to Recognize Diplomates for Their Commitment to Staying Current

ABIM is exploring new ways to recognize physicians who participate in the MOC program. This includes finding new ways to celebrate assessment milestones and ongoing efforts to stay current. Nicole Welk-Joerger, Ph.D., Program Manager of Stakeholder Engagement for ABIM, shared information about the project with the Specialty Board, including a number of proposed tactics for early consideration. Dr. Welk-Joerger invited members to share their feedback and reactions on how diplomates want to be recognized and what forms of recognition are most impactful for physicians.

Dr. Gertz spoke about the importance of building patient confidence, educating patients about the importance of certification and demonstrating legitimacy, mentioning tangible solutions like displaying certificates in exam rooms and offices. The challenge, he noted, lies in the fact that most patients do not understand what is involved in Board certification, although some are learning to look online to verify physicians’ credentials. Others brought up the importance of recognizing certification outside of prestigious institutions, and pointed out that certification is often a requirement for employers and part of the credentialing process.

The group further discussed how people have different motivations and preferences for recognition, leading to the idea that allowing individuals to self-select or opt in to forms of recognition meaningful to them might be successful.

In Closing

The Hematology Board values the feedback and commentary of the entire medical community, including diplomates and society partners.

Do you have any questions? Are you interested in getting involved?

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Join ABIM Governance

The Hematology Board does not currently have any openings for new members, but there are still opportunities to join ABIM Governance. The ABIM Council has three openings for terms beginning July 1, 2025:

An early career physician in any specialty (with initial ABIM certification within the past 10 years)
A physician practicing in a non-university/community setting
A patient or caregiver with perspective in internal medicine

Applications are due July 22, 2024, and appointments are expected to be announced in spring 2025.

Openings on ABIM’s Approval Committees will be announced fall 2024. Visit the website for a complete list of current openings.

*Indicates society staff were present for this session.

ABIM governance, ASH, hematology, Hematology Board, Morie Gertz, Summary Report