The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program has made a lot of changes in the past few months, but it still requires that you earn some MOC points every 2 years — and those points are due at the end of December.
To be reported as participating in MOC, you must earn 100 points every 5 years (the points you earn every two years count towards your 100 points) and pass the MOC exam in your specialty within 10 years of when you last passed it. (Practice Assessment, Patient Voice, and Patient Safety have been suspended through at least December 31, 2016.)
Claim MOC Points for Your Exam
The ABIM awards 20 MOC points for your first attempt at each recertification exam. If you took the exam this fall or last summer, you should claim your 20 points now! If you are looking ahead to next year, you can now schedule your seat at the Spring 2016 MOC exam.
ABIM MOC Exam Dates
| Exam Dates | Deadline for ABIM MOC Enrollment* | Schedule a Seat Between… |
| Spring 2016: Apr. 11, 13, or 15 | Feb. 15, 2016 | Dec. 1, 2015 and Feb. 29, 2016 |
| Fall 2016: Oct. 7, 19, 20, or Nov. 3 | Aug. 1, 2016 | May 1, 2015 and Aug.15, 2016 |
* In order to take the MOC exam, you must enroll in the ABIM MOC program by this date.
For the complete list of all ABIM exams and their schedules, please click here.
Earn MOC Points in NEJM Knowledge+ and on NEJM Interactive Medical Cases
NEJM Knowledge+ Internal Medicine Board Review offers 80 ABIM self-assessment MOC points. What’s more, if you provide your ABIM number, we’ll automatically transfer the data to ABIM, and you won’t have to do any of the paperwork.
NEJM Interactive Medical Cases offer 2 ABIM MOC points for each case you complete. These interactive cases present an evolving patient history and a series of questions and exercises designed to test your diagnostic and therapeutic skills.
Submit MOC Points for Your Fellowship
You can receive 20 MOC points and a one-year fee credit for completion of each eligible fellowship year. It’s important to note that if you completed your fellowship in 2015, the fee credit and points won’t be applied until 2016. Application of the credit is contingent upon ABIM’s receipt of your evaluation from your program director, which is sent automatically to ABIM via their FasTrack system.
Earn “Extra” MOC Points as a Dual-Boarded Physician
If you hold a specialty certificate from the ABIM, there are even more ways to earn extra MOC points.
Grab the equivalent of 20+ ABIM MOC points. If you’re dual-boarded by one or more of the ABMS member boards, your ABIM self-evaluation, patient safety, and patient survey requirements will be waived.
Earn reciprocal credits. The ABIM and the ABMS have a reciprocal credit program for dual-boarded diplomates. Not all ABMS boards are participating, and credit does vary depending on the ABMS board, but using the reciprocal credit program can still save you a great deal of time. More information can be found at the ABIM website, under “Credit from Other ABMS Boards.”
Coming Soon: Using CME as MOC
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and ABIM has just announced that they are broadening the available options for earning MOC points to include some CME activities. According to the ABIM, “Many of the learning activities you’ve already been participating in such as grand rounds, conferences, case discussions, and reading medical journals can now earn both MOC points and CME credits.”
The CME provider will report your completion of the activity to ABIM and the MOC points will be applied to your MOC Status Report on abim.org. You only need to ensure your CME provider has your ABIM number and your date of birth.
Be aware that although it may seem like you can use CME credit that you have already earned, you can’t assume that the CME activity is approved for MOC points by the ABIM. Many activities are not yet approved. ACCME’s website shows the list of CME activities that have currently been registered to grant MOC points.
Good luck and happy New Year!
“You can’t assume that the CME activity is approved for MOC points by the ABIM. Many activities are not yet approved.”
HA! So disappointed with the increasing and confusing and competing requirements to practice medicine. All CME should simply count for MOC. It’s hugely confusing, time consuming AND COSTS MONEY, which is ridiculous considering how much we pay the ABIM each year (as well as our subspecialty societies. The ABIM should be doing everything possible to make it EASIER and LESS EXPENSIVE for the physician, who has a huge (and increasing) burden of paperwork.
Since the ABIM is purportedly for improving the practice of medicine (HA!), make it about that, rather than about the ABIM sucking up money and time (have fun paying yourselves and flying around to board meetings). No one I know understands what the heck you guys are up to.