The release of new draft Standards for Board Continuing Certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties(ABMS), which had been scheduled for early next week, has been delayed until April 2021.
Despite the delay, APA is proactively alerting members to this important development and will be urging members to review the standards when they are released and to submit their comments directly to ABMS. The deadline for submission of public comments will be announced when the draft standards are released, and APA will inform members about the date and submission process.
These standards will shape the maintenance of certification (MOC) programs for all ABMS boards, including the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, for years to come. ABMS has not yet shared these standards with APA; however, as soon as the draft is available, APA will conduct a thorough analysis regarding how the revised MOC standards will impact physicians’ ability to practice medicine and care for patients.
ABMS had been prepared to release the Draft Standards for Continuing Certification – Call for Comments on Monday, December 7, in accordance with the timeframes established in the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission. However, the recent surge in new COVID-19 cases, which has placed additional burdens on the already stressed health care system, prompted ABMS to postpone the opening of the public comment period. After consulting external and internal stakeholders, ABMS decided to move the opening of the Call for Comments to April, pending the status of the COVID-19 surge and the hospital caseload at that time.
“APA members have sent a message loud and clear that they want a lifelong learning and continuing certification process that is less burdensome, less expensive, and more relevant to their clinical practice,” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., told Psychiatric News. “The new standards have the potential to impact all parts of ABPN’s maintenance of certification program and will directly impact all psychiatrists who are currently board certified. Our Division of Education and our advocacy staff will review the standards closely for how they will affect members immediately and in the future.
“It is imperative that we make our voices heard during the public comment period.”
Look for further information as it unfolds about the draft ABMS standards in the Psychiatric News Alert and print version of Psychiatric News.