Dr. Kevin M. Chan, FCCP – Abim Pulmonary Disease Board Member

On March 23, 2015, CHEST joined 26 other medical specialty societies at the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM’s) biannual Liaison Committee on Certification and Recertification (LCCR) meeting.

Originally established in 2002 to facilitate communication between ABIM and its medical society partners, this year’s LCCR meeting took on special importance. It was the first gathering since ABIM President Richard J. Baron issued the admission, “We got it wrong,” and announced changes to the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program developed in response to requirements put in place by the American Board of Medical Specialties. This communication also unveiled the main short-term changes to the program:

• Introducing more flexible ways to meet the self-assessment requirement, including recognizing more CME activities for MOC points.

• Suspension of the practice assessment, patient voice, and patient safety requirements for 2 years.

• Altering the language used in public reporting of diplomate’s status to “participating in MOC” (vs. “meeting/not meeting).

• Updating the MOC exam.

• Holding fees at current or lesser levels through 2017.

The March meeting marked the initiation of efforts to engage more broadly physicians and the medical community in shaping the future of MOC. Medical society representatives conveyed the sentiments of their respective memberships regarding the recent changes to the MOC program. Feedback ranged from messages of support for ABIM’s willingness to listen to the community and the steps taken in recent months to frustrations and questions around the specifics of how the existing program will be operationalized and what shape the practice assessment might take in the future. On the latter, while agreement around the principles of practice assessment was expressed, ABIM is not yet prepared to define what shape may be taken but remains committed to an open dialogue.

Participants, including CHEST, explored in a workshop setting the process of “community-centered design,” a practice that invites the community to codesign the future of ABIM by helping articulate its core desires and motivations around shared values. Emphasis was placed on the roles that ABIM and the medical societies might play to advance this value. Physician and staff representatives from the societies were asked to consider the following two hypotheses posited by ABIM’s Board of Directors:

Shared Purpose Statement:

“Our community values the idea of doctors ‘keeping up’ throughout their medical careers.”

ABIM’s Role in the Community:

“In collaboration with the community, ABIM implements standards through which physicians, their patients, and the profession know they are keeping up.”

Each group was tasked with testing these hypotheses by defining and then critiquing each other’s definitions of what it means to be “keeping up” or, to put it another way, “staying current.” The exercise highlighted both the common themes and different viewpoints that existed across definitions, while also setting the stage for future conversations about how ABIM can:

• Work with the internal medicine community to develop a shared purpose and clarify ABIM’s role in the community.

• Collaborate with medical societies and others in the community to define the areas in which the principles of co-creation could be applied in the context of MOC.

• Create future paths of engagement through which ABIM will seek input.

The meeting ended with LCCR participants sharing feedback on how ABIM could best partner with medical societies and other organizations to connect with the community. Meeting participants identified the ABMS, ACGME, and ACCME, among others, as organizations with which ABIM should collaborate moving forward.

Formal discussions such as those described at the LCCR are integral as ABIM furthers the collective conversation with the medical community; however, ABIM is also receiving direct feedback from diplomates, and several in-person meetings and workshops are planned over the next few months.

The LCCR was an important opportunity for us to provide feedback to ABIM on behalf of CHEST and to work with them to improve the future. It was clear to us that ABIM is committed to working with the medical community to transform its programs, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts with us ([email protected] or [email protected]) or with ABIM directly. We are here to assure you that as a CHEST member, we will relay your concerns to ABIM. CHEST is committed to maintaining a voice in this ongoing dialogue and to providing you with the tools to achieve initial and maintenance of ABIM subspecialty certification.

On March 23, 2015, CHEST joined 26 other medical specialty societies at the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM’s) biannual Liaison Committee on Certification and Recertification (LCCR) meeting.

Originally established in 2002 to facilitate communication between ABIM and its medical society partners, this year’s LCCR meeting took on special importance. It was the first gathering since ABIM President Richard J. Baron issued the admission, “We got it wrong,” and announced changes to the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program developed in response to requirements put in place by the American Board of Medical Specialties. This communication also unveiled the main short-term changes to the program:

• Introducing more flexible ways to meet the self-assessment requirement, including recognizing more CME activities for MOC points.

• Suspension of the practice assessment, patient voice, and patient safety requirements for 2 years.

• Altering the language used in public reporting of diplomate’s status to “participating in MOC” (vs. “meeting/not meeting).

• Updating the MOC exam.

• Holding fees at current or lesser levels through 2017.

The March meeting marked the initiation of efforts to engage more broadly physicians and the medical community in shaping the future of MOC. Medical society representatives conveyed the sentiments of their respective memberships regarding the recent changes to the MOC program. Feedback ranged from messages of support for ABIM’s willingness to listen to the community and the steps taken in recent months to frustrations and questions around the specifics of how the existing program will be operationalized and what shape the practice assessment might take in the future. On the latter, while agreement around the principles of practice assessment was expressed, ABIM is not yet prepared to define what shape may be taken but remains committed to an open dialogue.

Participants, including CHEST, explored in a workshop setting the process of “community-centered design,” a practice that invites the community to codesign the future of ABIM by helping articulate its core desires and motivations around shared values. Emphasis was placed on the roles that ABIM and the medical societies might play to advance this value. Physician and staff representatives from the societies were asked to consider the following two hypotheses posited by ABIM’s Board of Directors:

Shared Purpose Statement:

“Our community values the idea of doctors ‘keeping up’ throughout their medical careers.”

ABIM’s Role in the Community:

“In collaboration with the community, ABIM implements standards through which physicians, their patients, and the profession know they are keeping up.”

Each group was tasked with testing these hypotheses by defining and then critiquing each other’s definitions of what it means to be “keeping up” or, to put it another way, “staying current.” The exercise highlighted both the common themes and different viewpoints that existed across definitions, while also setting the stage for future conversations about how ABIM can:

• Work with the internal medicine community to develop a shared purpose and clarify ABIM’s role in the community.

• Collaborate with medical societies and others in the community to define the areas in which the principles of co-creation could be applied in the context of MOC.

• Create future paths of engagement through which ABIM will seek input.

The meeting ended with LCCR participants sharing feedback on how ABIM could best partner with medical societies and other organizations to connect with the community. Meeting participants identified the ABMS, ACGME, and ACCME, among others, as organizations with which ABIM should collaborate moving forward.

Formal discussions such as those described at the LCCR are integral as ABIM furthers the collective conversation with the medical community; however, ABIM is also receiving direct feedback from diplomates, and several in-person meetings and workshops are planned over the next few months.

The LCCR was an important opportunity for us to provide feedback to ABIM on behalf of CHEST and to work with them to improve the future. It was clear to us that ABIM is committed to working with the medical community to transform its programs, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts with us ([email protected] or [email protected]) or with ABIM directly. We are here to assure you that as a CHEST member, we will relay your concerns to ABIM. CHEST is committed to maintaining a voice in this ongoing dialogue and to providing you with the tools to achieve initial and maintenance of ABIM subspecialty certification.

On March 23, 2015, CHEST joined 26 other medical specialty societies at the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM’s) biannual Liaison Committee on Certification and Recertification (LCCR) meeting.

Originally established in 2002 to facilitate communication between ABIM and its medical society partners, this year’s LCCR meeting took on special importance. It was the first gathering since ABIM President Richard J. Baron issued the admission, “We got it wrong,” and announced changes to the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program developed in response to requirements put in place by the American Board of Medical Specialties. This communication also unveiled the main short-term changes to the program:

• Introducing more flexible ways to meet the self-assessment requirement, including recognizing more CME activities for MOC points.

• Suspension of the practice assessment, patient voice, and patient safety requirements for 2 years.

• Altering the language used in public reporting of diplomate’s status to “participating in MOC” (vs. “meeting/not meeting).

• Updating the MOC exam.

• Holding fees at current or lesser levels through 2017.

The March meeting marked the initiation of efforts to engage more broadly physicians and the medical community in shaping the future of MOC. Medical society representatives conveyed the sentiments of their respective memberships regarding the recent changes to the MOC program. Feedback ranged from messages of support for ABIM’s willingness to listen to the community and the steps taken in recent months to frustrations and questions around the specifics of how the existing program will be operationalized and what shape the practice assessment might take in the future. On the latter, while agreement around the principles of practice assessment was expressed, ABIM is not yet prepared to define what shape may be taken but remains committed to an open dialogue.

Participants, including CHEST, explored in a workshop setting the process of “community-centered design,” a practice that invites the community to codesign the future of ABIM by helping articulate its core desires and motivations around shared values. Emphasis was placed on the roles that ABIM and the medical societies might play to advance this value. Physician and staff representatives from the societies were asked to consider the following two hypotheses posited by ABIM’s Board of Directors:

Shared Purpose Statement:

“Our community values the idea of doctors ‘keeping up’ throughout their medical careers.”

ABIM’s Role in the Community:

“In collaboration with the community, ABIM implements standards through which physicians, their patients, and the profession know they are keeping up.”

Each group was tasked with testing these hypotheses by defining and then critiquing each other’s definitions of what it means to be “keeping up” or, to put it another way, “staying current.” The exercise highlighted both the common themes and different viewpoints that existed across definitions, while also setting the stage for future conversations about how ABIM can:

• Work with the internal medicine community to develop a shared purpose and clarify ABIM’s role in the community.

• Collaborate with medical societies and others in the community to define the areas in which the principles of co-creation could be applied in the context of MOC.

• Create future paths of engagement through which ABIM will seek input.

The meeting ended with LCCR participants sharing feedback on how ABIM could best partner with medical societies and other organizations to connect with the community. Meeting participants identified the ABMS, ACGME, and ACCME, among others, as organizations with which ABIM should collaborate moving forward.

Formal discussions such as those described at the LCCR are integral as ABIM furthers the collective conversation with the medical community; however, ABIM is also receiving direct feedback from diplomates, and several in-person meetings and workshops are planned over the next few months.

The LCCR was an important opportunity for us to provide feedback to ABIM on behalf of CHEST and to work with them to improve the future. It was clear to us that ABIM is committed to working with the medical community to transform its programs, and we encourage everyone to share their thoughts with us ([email protected] or [email protected]) or with ABIM directly. We are here to assure you that as a CHEST member, we will relay your concerns to ABIM. CHEST is committed to maintaining a voice in this ongoing dialogue and to providing you with the tools to achieve initial and maintenance of ABIM subspecialty certification.