With all of this uncertainty looming, each grandparent must do what we think will be best for us personally. As a practicing physician planning to retire at some date in the future and knowing that I am keeping up in the field whether or not I am doing so through the official MOC program, I am still weighing whether or not to participate in MOC. On one hand, I am proud of my reputation, and I certainly do not want any observer to wonder if I am up to date or not, or whether I am actively engaging in practice improvement. On the other hand, I am not sure the expense of going through this process will be worthwhile for me. I am also a bit resentful that the rules have changed so late in my career.
I am proud of my certification, and I am happy to participate in continuing medical education in order to maintain my Ohio medical license. In fact, I have routinely exceeded the state medical board’s required number of hours in CME.
I have colleagues who are grandparented and taking a different route—paying each year to participate and completing MOC activities along the way. They will not need to take and pass a secure examination until 2023 to be “Meeting MOC Requirements,” so some will not be practicing at that time. Others will opt to take the exam before 2023, and others still will opt not to take the exam and will no longer be meeting requirements in 2023. The number of people still practicing with grandparented credentials will be rather small by then.
The ACR is not the creator or the driving force behind MOC, but because it’s a process required of our members, we have made a commitment to provide rheumatologists with the resources & tools we need to navigate the process & earn MOC points.
Where Does the ACR Fit into MOC?
No matter which route I ultimately pursue, I know the ACR will have my back. The ACR is not the creator or the driving force behind MOC, but because it’s a process required of our members, we have made a commitment to provide rheumatologists with the resources and tools we need to navigate the process and earn MOC points. To this end, the ACR has developed online self-paced, self-assessment modules for medical knowledge and practice improvement and, more recently, modules that coincide with live sessions, such as those at the Annual Meeting. The ACR’s goal is to help rheumatologists earn MOC points for activities we’re already doing and reduce the burden via time- and cost-efficient programs. Most importantly, we have programs that are rheumatology specific.
