Understanding MOC

Enrollment for ABIM’s Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA™) for Maintenance of Certification (MOC), is now open. The first quarter's questions were delivered January 4, 2022.

If you are planning to participate it's important to start taking questions as early as you can as they are only available for that quarter and will expire on March 31, 2022.

For more information, visit the ABIM Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment website.

The traditional, 10-year MOC exam will also remain available as an assessment option.

For information about your personal MOC status and to see your specific requirements, login to your ABIM physician page.

Board certified before 1990 (grandparent)
Your initial certification is valid indefinitely; however, you do still need to enroll in the ABIM MOC program to be reported as "Participating in MOC". If you choose not to enroll or miss any of the MOC requirements, you will be reported as "Certified, Not Participating in MOC."

Board certified after 1990 (before 2014)
You will continue to be certified until your current certification expires. To be reported as "Certified, Participating in MOC," you will need to enroll in the ABIM MOC program and complete at least one ABIM-approved activity every 2 years. Every 5 years, a total of 100 MOC points must be earned. Once your current certification expires, you will only be eligible to renew your certification if you are enrolled in MOC and "Participating in MOC".

Newly certified (2014 and after)
Your certification is contingent upon whether you are meeting MOC requirements at the two, five, and ten year milestones. You must participate in continuous MOC activity to remain certified.

The ABIM has suspended the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient Safety requirements through December 31, 2018. As stated in the ACR’s MOC Position Statement, ABIM should not reinstate these requirements as part of the recertification process because they are redundant with existing requirements. Upon expiration, the ACR retired the AIM: RA and AIM: Gout modules (December 31, 2015).

If you are looking for practice assessment opportunities visit the ABIM Approved Quality Improvement Program or the ABMS Continuing Certification Directory.

The ABP’s How-To Guide provides detailed information on the MOC requirements. For information about your personal MOC status and to see your specific requirements, login to your ABP Physician Portal.

To maintain your ABP board certification in general pediatrics and any pediatric subspecialties for which you are certified, you must be up to date in four areas:

Part 1: Professional Standing
You must have at least one valid, unrestricted medical license in the U.S. or Canada, and no restricted licenses.

Part 2: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment
You must assess and enhance your knowledge in areas important to your practice, using activities developed by the ABP and other organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other CME providers. You must earn at least 40 points for these activities every five years, regardless of how many certificates you wish to maintain. If you have more than one certificate, the same five-year cycle will apply to all certificates.

Part 3: Cognitive Expertise — Exam
You must pass an examination on a regular schedule for each certificate you wish to maintain. Beginning in 2019, there are two ways to comply with the Part 3 requirement: 1) MOCA-Peds, an innovative continuous assessment approach that delivers 20 questions electronically each quarter; or 2) traditional proctored examination at a secure testing facility. Beginning in 2019, Part 3 will align with your five-year MOC cycle.

Part 4: Improving Professional Practice — Quality Improvement
You must participate in quality improvement (QI) activities to earn Part 4 credit. These can be small or large group, collaborative, web-based, or other types. The ABP approves activities that are designed to assess and improve the quality of patient care and processes that will lead to improved child health. You must earn at least 40 points for these activities every five years, regardless of how many certificates you wish to maintain. If you have more than one certificate, the same five-year cycle will apply to all certificates.

Earning Points in Five-Year Cycles
To receive credit for Part 2 and Part 4 activities and maintain certification, you must earn a total of 100 points: a minimum of 40 for Part 2 and a minimum of 40 for Part 4 every five years. The additional 20 points may be earned in either Part 2 or Part 4 activities. You can complete your Part 2 and Part 4 activities any time during your five-year MOC cycle. At the end of each cycle, you will enroll again, pay the fee to begin your next MOC activity/points cycle, and submit attestation of your valid, unrestricted medical license.

For more information, visit the ABP website.

Browse ACR's MOC activities