• Contact Us
  • Become a Contributor

Rebel.MD

The Voice of Hippocratic Medicine in America

  • About
    • About RebelMD
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
  • Become a Contributor
  • Rebels in Action
    • AAPS
    • Benjamin Rush Institute
    • ChangeBoardRecert.com
    • Docs4PatientCare Foundation
  • Accountability
    • MOC
    • AMA Watch
    • Doctors For America Watch
  • Gov’t Medicine
    • Medicare
    • Medicaid
    • ObamaCare
    • The VA
  • Crony Medicine
    • ABIM
    • ABMS
    • Choose Wisely
    • EMR
    • National Quality Forum

MOC – a Solution in Search of a Problem

June 16, 2014 By Arvind Cavale MD 4 Comments

Doctors who completed their training in the early 1990’s, came into practice being told that their Board Certifications would be valid for just 10 years, with the need for re-testing every 10 years. The premise behind this concept was that physicians who participated in MOC found great value in it and that patients demanded that their doctors participate in MOC.

Having re-certified in 2005, and finding no real benefit to my practice, and feeling rather humiliated by the methods utilized by the Board to ensure a “secure” exam, I decided to query my colleagues and patients about their feelings towards MOC.

Here are some of my findings:
Figure-1MOC

Only 13% of a physician sample over 600 found MOC of any value.

 
 
Figure-2MOC

Less than 10% of patients correctly identified the meaning of Board Certification. Most people believe that Board Certification means being certified by a State Licensing Board.

 
 
Figure3MOC

Less than 6% of patients indicated that they use ABMS Certification as a criteria when they choose their doctor. A majority use their personal experience, and recommendations from family/friends/other doctors as their main criteria when choosing a doctor.

 
 
The myth being spread by ABMS and its affiliates, that the public demands MOC from its physicians, who in turn find great value in participating in it, is false. While we tried unsuccessfully to get this data published in the standard, well-known journals, we came to realize that these journals are themselves co-conspirators, along with ABMS, in spreading this myth.

The truth lies with patients and their doctors, who realize that the heart of medicine is the trusting relationship between the patient and his/her physician.
No test can properly assess this, and passing a test never has and never will be, an assurance of the quality of care. MOC is a manufactured solution to an imagined problem should be abandoned as soon as possible. It is time for truth to prevail.

Arvind Cavale MD is an endocrinologist in private practice, you can follow Dr. Cavale on Twitter @endodocPA.

Filed Under: ABIM, ABMS, MOC

About Arvind Cavale MD

Dr. Arvind Cavale is an endocrinologist in private practice in Pennsylvania. You can follow him on Twitter @endodocPA

Comments

  1. Meg Edison MD (@megedison) says

    June 16, 2014 at 8:13 am

    If it were just an exam every 10 years, that’s one thing. Although I agree, it’s utterly humiliating to leave the office taking care of patients in a fully competent and licensed fashion…to being asked to lift my pants to my knees and get scanned by a metal detector like a criminal to take the test. But it’s the further insanity of doing online modules, testing on my patients without their consent, sending in patient letters of satisfaction, pulling charts and sending in chart reviews to show how “improved” I’ve become after participating in a practice improvement module…that’s what’s crazy, unethical and wrong about MOC.

    Reply
  2. Sue Jones says

    June 16, 2014 at 8:59 am

    It seems to me MOC (maintenance of certification) like URAAC or JACHO is just a racket designed to give others, the false feeling that you really are “up on things” and are practice or hire worthy-wink, wink (reminds me of whether or not a politician gets an endorsement from their party).

    IMO, these certifications are meaningless, to me,it’s a way coerce money (lots of money) from your bank account, you know, “pay me this amount and I’ll make sure no one comes in and knocks things off your counter”
    Better Business Bureau is exactly like that-they actually call new businesses to “encourage” them to sign with them-for a price, that is, and boom you are a member of BBB, you don’t earn your way in, you buy your way in.

    As long as my doctor is licensed and is knowledgeable on the latest new medicines and procedures, I could care less and no one should care (and they don’t) if you put your instruments on the right or left side of the treatment table

    Reply
  3. David says

    June 16, 2014 at 12:13 pm

    Virtually every doctor I speak to hates MOC and thinks it’s a waste of time. We physicians need to become much more militant and just refuse to comply. I am board certified in general and plastic surgery. My plastic surgery board “expires” in 2016 and I have not participated in the MOC process. The board keeps sending me scary letters on brightly colored stationary to get me to send them money. I literally told them to go to hell. I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk.

    Just stop sending these jerks your hard-earned money! You can do it!

    Reply
  4. Pamela Wible MD says

    June 16, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    The abuse is so widespread. Doctors are being bullied and abused by their employers, by some patients, insurance companies, media, and now licensing boards and more. We must stand up and have zero tolerance for abuse of our physicians. Please watch this video of a frightened doctor (her identity is concealed to protect her) speaking out about the abuse she sustained by her employer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2IngrAq7yA

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Subscribe to posts

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Donate

Speech is still free, websites...not so much. Donate $5-10 to keep Rebel MD up and running.

Top Posts

  • My MOC Failure
    My MOC Failure
  • Open Letter to the American Board of Pediatrics
    Open Letter to the American Board of Pediatrics
  • Mississippi Sudafed Law May Be Short-Sighted
    Mississippi Sudafed Law May Be Short-Sighted
  • Non-Profit Hospitals & Their Employees
    Non-Profit Hospitals & Their Employees
  • Oklahoma Bans Forced MOC, Becomes the First "Right to Care" State
    Oklahoma Bans Forced MOC, Becomes the First "Right to Care" State
  • MOC: How the American Board of Pediatrics Failed this Nursing Physician
    MOC: How the American Board of Pediatrics Failed this Nursing Physician
  • Connecting Physician Burnout, Poor Patient Outcomes, and Healthcare Costs
    Connecting Physician Burnout, Poor Patient Outcomes, and Healthcare Costs
  • New AMA Policy Opposes MOC Exams
    New AMA Policy Opposes MOC Exams
  • BCBS of Michigan Supports ABMS Monopoly, Rejects NBPAS
    BCBS of Michigan Supports ABMS Monopoly, Rejects NBPAS

@RebelDocs on Twitter

Tweets by @RebelDocs

Post by topic

Subscribe to posts

Copyright © 2018 · Rebel.MD · Log in