ACCMEData ReportingMaintenance of Certification

Maintenance of Certification

We’ve collaborated with American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) certifying boards to simplify and align the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process to better meet the needs of physicians and educators.

About the Collaboration

These collaborations increase the number and diversity of accredited CME activities that meet the requirements for MOC and add value to accredited CME programs.

Note about terminology: The terminology for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is evolving and each board chooses the name of its own program. MOC is also known as Continuing Certification or Continuous Certification.

Currently, collaborations are in place with:

American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)
American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS)
American Board of Pathology (ABPath)
American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
American Board of Surgery (ABS)
American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS)

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada will recognize activities registered for CME for MOC as meeting the requirements for Royal College MOC Program Section 3 (Self-Assessment Programs) credits. Visit CME that Counts for Royal College MOC for more information.

What is Maintenance of Certification?

To remain certified in their specialty, physicians must meet continuing education requirements that are set by the certifying boards. Physicians can earn credit toward meeting these requirements by participating in accredited CME activities that count for MOC.

How It Works

Accredited CME providers are not required to submit MOC applications for approval to the certifying boards that are collaborating with the ACCME. Instead, accredited CME providers are able to use the ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) to register activities for these programs. As part of this registration process, providers attest to meeting certain MOC requirements and data policies.

All CME providers in the ACCME System have the option to add value to their CME programs by offering accredited CME that counts for MOC. This includes state-accredited providers, providers directly accredited by the ACCME, and providers that have received Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™.

Getting Started

The ACCME has several resources available to assist accredited CME providers in learning about the process to offer CME for MOC:

Introductory Guide for MOC: Use this guide in conjunction with the CME for MOC Program Guide, to gain a basic understanding of how to offer CME that counts for MOC.
CME for MOC Program Guide: This guide details the requirements for offering CME for MOC.

Maintenance of Certification Requirements

The ACCME and collaborating certifying boards have aligned their requirements to simplify the process of offering CME that counts for MOC. Many accredited CME activities may already meet MOC requirements and there may be only a few modifications providers need to make to register and report activities for MOC. We’ve created a MOC planning guide to assist providers in tracking requirements.

All CME for MOC requirements can be found in the CME for MOC Program Guide.

Register Your Activity in PARS

Accredited CME providers use the ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) to register activities for CME that counts for MOC. Please register these activities prior to the activity taking place. To register your activity you will need to:

Choose “yes” to the question: Would you like to register this CME activity for MOC so that physician attendees may receive MOC point/credits?
Complete the MOC registration questions and provide some additional details about your activity
Attest to compliance with the MOC requirements as described in the program guide
Agree to collect the required individual learner credit data and submit it via PARS
Agree to abide by the board’s and ACCME’s requirements for use of the data
Agree to comply with requests for information about the activity if the activity is selected for an audit by the ACCME

Display Your Activities in CME Passport. We encourage you to register your activities in PARS as soon as possible, so that physician learners can find out about them. Activities registered for MOC can be displayed in CME Passport, our online CME search tool that provides a one-stop resource for physicians seeking to earn MOC credit by participating in accredited CME. You can indicate whether or not there is a fee for the activity and if the activity is limited to only members or staff.

Tutorial: How to register activities for MOC in PARS

For additional technical details on how to submit activity data in PARS using batch upload processes or web services, click here.

Submit Learner Credit Data Through PARS

Accredited CME providers are required to submit learner credit data into PARS for each activity registered for MOC. We encourage CME providers to submit learner credit data as soon as possible after the activity is completed and the learner has met the requirements to earn MOC credit, so that the board can apply the credits to the learner’s records. Ideally, learner credit data should be reported within 30 days of the learner earning the credit.

Timeline:

Learner credit data for ABP should be submitted to PARS by December 1. All ABP learner credit data should be submitted within 30 days of activity completion, and learner credit data for ABP activities conducted after December 1 should be entered immediately in order to allow ABP diplomates with cycles ending that year to meet certification requirements and re-enroll by established deadlines.
Learner credit data for ABA, ABIM, ABOHNS, ABPath, and ABS should be submitted to PARS by December 31 in order to meet year-end certification deadlines.

Learner credit data can be submitted into PARS manually via the web interface, by batch upload (tab delimited, Excel, and XML methods), and by web service.

Tutorial: Submitting learner data in PARS

For additional technical details on how to submit learner credit data in PARS using batch upload processes or web services, click here.

Maintenance of Certification Recognition Statements

Accredited CME providers must use the relevant board’s recognition statement to designate activities that offer MOC credit and must communicate to learners how many and what type of MOC points or credits can be earned by completing the activity. This statement must be provided to learners prior to the start of the activity, and must be included on any activity, registration, or promotional materials (excluding general “save the date” communications).

If your activity is offering MOC credit for more than one certifying board, you may combine the information into one recognition statement. You will need to ensure that the statement includes the names of each board, the type(s) of credit for each board, and the number of credits available for each credit type.

Examples of recognition statements are included in the CME for MOC Program Guide in the Communication of MOC Recognition section as well as in the sections that explain each board’s requirements.

You should inform learners about any additional steps they must take to earn MOC so that you are able to submit their learner credit data to the certifying boards via PARS. This could include instructions for claiming MOC from your organization, any evaluation deadlines for the activities, and/or requesting learner information needed to report completions.

Accredited CME providers may use the relevant board’s badge or logo to identify and promote MOC activities in addition to the required recognition statements. Use of the badge or logo is optional and may appear on any activity materials, brochures, and announcements that promote these activities. Accredited providers may determine the size and placement of the badge or logo; however, providers are not permitted to make changes to the badge or logo.