If your ABEM certification expires in 2013 or in 2017, Requirements must be met to remain current. If your ABEM certification expires in 2017, you have ABEM MOC requirements that must be completed by December 31, 2012. These requirements are:

• Pass four Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment (LLSA) tests.
• Complete and attest to one Practice Improvement (PI) activity.

If you have already completed these activities, you have met the requirements of your first 5-year activity period. If you have not completed these requirements, you must do so by Dec. 31, 2012. If not, you will not lose your ABEM certification; however, ABEM will designate and publicly report that you are “not meeting MOC requirements.” If you do not complete these and your subsequent five-year requirements by the time your certificate expires in 2017, you will lose your ABEM certification.

If your certification expires in 2013, you have ABEM MOC requirements that must be completed by Dec. 31, 2013. These requirements are:

• Pass eight LLSA tests.
• Complete and attest to one Practice Improvement (PI) activity.
• Pass the ConCert examination.

If you do not complete all these requirements by Dec. 31, 2013, your ABEM certification will expire; you will no longer be certified. The key to meeting the PI requirement is to measure, benchmark/compare, implement an improvement/intervention, and re-measure. Here is an example:

• An emergency department is tracking statistics for adherence to Core Measures for community acquired (bacterial) pneumonia (CAP) for the entire physician group.
• It is reporting physician adherence to the measures at department meetings or routinely posting this data in the ED.
• Comparisons are made to national or regional benchmarks, or even prior performance within the department.
• Suggestions are made or strategies are put into place to improve adherence.
• Performance is re-measured and reported to determine if adherence has been maintained or improved.

Other examples include PI activities related to any of the 16 PQRS measures, Core Measures, or other activities as diverse as sepsis pathways, asthma pathways, throughput time measures, door-to-doctor times, and most LEAN or Six-sigma projects.

At least 10 of your patients must be a part of the measured group; fewer patients can be used for certain high-acuity, low-volume clinical issues (e.g., door-to-balloon times). If you have questions, please call the ABEM office at 517-332-4800, ext. 383, or send an email to moc@abem.org. Visit www.abem.org for more information.