E. William St. Clair

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has challenged the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Maintenance of Certification (ABIM MOC) requirements, and says that rheumatologists have lost confidence in the program.

ACR president E. William St. Clair, M.D., stated that “[o]ur members strongly feel the ABIM MOC program not only fails to appropriately assess their competence but lacks evidence that patients are benefiting from their involvement with it.” Thus the rheumatologists have joined the swelling chorus denouncing the ABIM.

• “The program should be modified to permit rheumatologists to develop an ongoing professional development program suitable to his/her own professional needs.
• “The Practice Assessment, Patient Voice, and Safety Assessment components of the recertification process should not be reinstated because they are redundant.
• “The ‘secure, closed-book, high-stakes MOC examination’ should be replaced by ‘CME {continuing medical education} activities that include assessment and demonstrate educational benefit, or a take home open-book exam should be considered as appropriate assessment tools for MOC.’
• “An independent, external review of the MOC program should be undertaken and the findings made public.”

And, a “transparent accounting of the cost to the physician of the MOC program is essential and a reduction in cost commensurate with the reduction in the program should be instituted.”

Some have called the ABIM a giant money-making machine because of the compensation paid to its executives.