With Changes to the Continuing Certification Program Starting This Year, ACPM and ABPM Want to Ensure All Members are Up-To-Date on the Latest Resources and Requirements for Certification.
The first phase of the American Board of preventive Medicine (ABPM)’s three-phase transition from the old maintenance of certification (MOC) program to the new continuing certification program (CCP) began January 1.
The ABPM’s CCP was developed in compliance with the new Standards for Continuing Certification mandated by the American Board of Medical Specialties and in response to feedback from ABPM Diplomates, who wanted a simpler but more meaningful program, and who overwhelmingly preferred an innovative alternative to the traditional high-stakes, point-in-time Maintenance of Certification (MOC) exam.
To ensure a smooth transition to the CCP, ABPM is introducing the new program in three separate and distinct phases. Phase One of the transition will be in effect for calendar years 2023 and 2024.
All Diplomates with time-limited certificates will begin participating in the CCP in 2023. What does that entail? Just three simple actions:
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Maintain a current, valid, and unrestricted medical license in every US state, territory, or Canadian province in which you practice medicine;
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Pay the annual fee using the ABPM’s Physician Portal;
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Attest to earning 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (using the ABPM’s Physician Portal), six of which are relevant to your ABPM certification(s). ABPM is empowering Diplomates to choose the CME courses that are relevant to their ABPM specialty – there is no specific list that you must choose from!
During Phase One of the transition, Clinical Informatics Diplomates will continue to participate in the Longitudinal Assessment Program (LAP) pilot through the pilot’s currently scheduled conclusion of March 31.
Phase Two of the transition will begin in January 2025 and continue through December 2029, and will include an expansion of its LAP pilot for each ABPM Specialty and Subspecialty. The LAP will be an open-resource assessment that includes 30 questions annually, designed to be an innovative replacement for the traditional, high-stakes, point-in-time MOC exam.
In January 2030, ABPM will launch Phase Three that will incorporate lessons learned from the expanded LAP Pilot. ABPM will develop the details of Phase Three over time, relying heavily on continued Diplomate feedback. ABPM’s Phase Three program will ultimately be approved by the ABMS prior to its launch in 2030.
ABPM will be sharing more information about the elements of the CCP throughout this year – including at PM 2023 this year – stop at our booth to ask any questions you have! Diplomates can also reach ABPM staff at abpm@theabpm.org for support.