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Quarterly News & Notes: Winter
2025

January 29, 2025  |  Posted by ABIM  |  Announcements

In this edition of News & Notes …

How the physician community informs the work of ABIM in carrying out its mission

As I’ve reflected on my first few months as CEO, I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for just how important the physician community is in informing how we carry out our mission:

“To enhance the quality of health care by certifying internists and subspecialists who demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for excellent patient care.”

Your candid feedback and suggestions help us enhance and simplify our programs while remaining true to the ideals of board certification and the standards to which we hold ourselves accountable. 

We’ve heard your requests for assessments that more closely align with what you see in practice. In response, we announced the development of five new focused versions of the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) in three specialty areas that we aim to launch in 2026 (hematology in January and gastroenterology, medical oncology in July).

While the LKA is extremely popular and well-received—more than 85,000 certifications are being maintained through the LKA—we also heard from some with ideas on how to improve it. Based on some specific suggestions we systematically studied the LKA question time limits so that we could make adjustments using the best evidence; starting this year LKA participants have more time—a 25% increase to 5 minutes—to answer each question and will also receive feedback for all questions—both live and pre-test items. 

Recognizing that the every-two-year Maintenance of Certification (MOC) point requirement was confusing and not adding value, we eliminated it. In doing so, the certification status of more than 12,000 physicians immediately changed to indicate they were meeting MOC program requirements.

In addition to this work, we continued to investigate how ABIM is meeting its mission. In 2024 two new research studies were published. One demonstrated that ABIM certification examination scores (but not residency milestone ratings) of attending physician hospitalists were associated with improved outcomes among hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries. The other showed that while the change to Milestones reduced bias in residency program ratings compared to the pre-milestones, U.S.-born Black medical residents continue to face bias in medical education. This further emphasizes the importance of standardized, less biased assessments like the certification examination.

In the year to come I look forward to continuing this journey with you and finding ways to support you in your efforts to demonstrate that you are staying current in medical knowledge and practice. Thank you to all who took the time to speak with me or provide us feedback through one of our other communications channels.

And thank you most of all for your commitment to the profession of medicine and to the patients we serve.

All the very best,

Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH
President and CEO
Professor of Medicine

Important certification and MOC dates to know

Enrollment and Registration

Enrollment for all assessments is currently open.

February 28, 2025: Enrollment closes for the spring 2025 traditional, 10-year MOC exam. The last day to request special accommodations for the spring 2025 traditional, 10-year MOC exam*.

June 30, 2025: The last day to enroll in the LKA for 2025.

August 15, 2025: Enrollment closes for the fall 2025 traditional, 10-year MOC exam. The last day to request a special accommodation for the fall 2025 traditional, 10-year MOC exam*.

Deactivate a Certificate

March 31, 2025: The last day to deactivate a certificate you no longer want to maintain. You can do this through your Physician Portal.

LKA-Related

January 1, 2025: First-quarter LKA questions became available.

March 31, 2025: First quarter of the LKA ends. First-quarter questions will not be available after this date.

April 1, 2025: The second-quarter questions are available for the LKA.

June 30, 2025: The last day to enroll in the LKA for 2025. Final day to answer LKA second quarter questions.  

September 30, 2025: The last day to answer questions in the third quarter.

October 1, 2025: Fourth-quarter LKA questions are available.

December 31, 2025:The last day to answer questions in the fourth quarter.

*These dates are only offered to candidates who have a documented disability requiring a special testing schedule, as provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please see the ABIM policy on Testing Accommodations for Exam Takers with Disabilities

How to deactivate a certificate

If you no longer wish to maintain certification in a discipline, you must inform ABIM prior to March 31. To deactivate a certificate, please complete and submit the Deactivate/Reactivate Form, which can be found under the My Assessments & Certifications section of your Physician Portal. Any certificates not deactivated by the March 31 will be assessed the annual MOC fee.

Your most frequently asked questions answered

Each year ABIM’s Customer Experience team provides support to thousands of physicians by email and phone. We’ve collected some of the community’s most frequently asked questions here and hope they help answer any questions you may have yourself. Remember that you can find all your program requirements by signing in your personalized ABIM Physician Portal, and if you ever need additional assistance, you can contact us at 1-800-441-ABIM or request@abim.org.

How do I reset a forgotten password for the Physician Portal?

Use the “Reset / Forgot Password” function to reset your password. After providing your email address, you will receive a password reset email. Follow the instructions in the email to reset your password. If you do not receive the password reset email, please check your junk/spam email folders.

Has ABIM eliminated all Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements?

No. While ABIM eliminated the requirement to earn MOC points every two years, the other MOC requirements remain in place, including the requirement to earn 100 MOC points every five years. Learn more.

What if I don’t want to maintain a certificate any more? Can I just let it lapse?

No. If you don’t let ABIM know you no longer wish to maintain your certificate, you will continue to be billed for it and receive reminders about associated requirements. Instead, you should deactivate this certificate. The deadline to deactivate a certificate is March 31. Any certificates not deactivated by the deadline will be assessed the annual MOC fee. Learn more.

To deactivate a certificate, please complete and submit the Deactivate/Reactivate Form, which can be found under the My Assessments & Certifications section of your Physician Portal.

When can I start participating in the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA)?

You can start participating in the LKA in your MOC assessment due year, and you can enroll as early as December 1 in the calendar year preceding it. Learn more. If you are unsure of your MOC assessment due year, you can find it under the My Assessments & Certifications section of your Physician Portal.

Why is the most recent quarter I completed not included in my LKA Progress Report?

The LKA Progress Report is updated quarterly, with a one quarter delay, which means the results are not from the immediate past quarter, but rather, they are from the quarter prior. During this time ABIM conducts a thorough scoring and quality assurance process. The LKA Progress Report is released three to four months after a given quarter ends. Learn more.

LKA updates and enhancements for 2025

Since launching in 2022, ABIM has continued to enhance the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) based on physician feedback. 

Last year ABIM announced the development of five new focused LKAs in three specialty areas:

Enhancements to the LKA in 2025 include an additional minute to respond to questions (from 4 to 5 minutes) and supplying rationales and references for all questions, including pretest questions. These enhancements were made based on a combination of physician feedback and an evidence-based analysis of the LKA.

More than 85,000 certificates are being maintained through the LKA with physicians who choose an assessment choosing it four to one over the traditional, Maintenance of Certification (MOC) exam (the long-form exam). In 2024, about 75% surveyed said they would recommend the LKA to a colleague as a way to meet their MOC requirements, and 81% said they plan to continue with LKA. Nearly 15,000 physicians have enrolled in an LKA in 2025 so far.

If you are due for an assessment in 2025 and are interested in the LKA consider enrolling now so you have as much time as possible to respond to the first quarter’s questions, which are available through 3/31/25. Enrollment for the LKA is open until 6/31/25, but that is also the last day to respond to the second quarter’s questions. Any unopened questions are counted toward the 100 you are allowed to leave unopened over the 5-year LKA period.

Not sure which assessment is right for you? This comparison chart might help. You can also read what other physicians are saying about their experiences.

Join the Community Insights Network

A heartfelt thank you to the members of the Community Insights Network (CIN) who volunteered their time in 2024 to provide information on what they see in practice and how ABIM can enhance its programs. The CIN consists of more than 4,400 board certified physicians who helped inform dozens of initiatives last year, including discussions about the LKA time limit and question feedback.

If you are interested in receiving invitations to surveys, interviews, and panels that help inform ABIM’s programs, please consider joining the Community Insights Network.

Thank you for helping ABIM become a better organization in serving you. We look forward to our continued work together in 2025.

News and Notes

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