What is Maintenance of Certification?

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) MOC is based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education six core competencies for quality patient care: medical knowledge, patient care and procedural skills, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.

The 24 ABMS specialty boards adopted four MOC components to serve as a framework for physicians to demonstrate their ongoing professional development and compliance with these competencies.

• Part I - Licensure and professional standing

  Must hold a valid, unrestricted medical license in at least one state or jurisdiction in the United States, its territories, or Canada

• Part II - Lifelong learning and self-assessment

  Participate in educational and self-assessment programs that meet specialty-specific standards that are set by their member boards

• Part III - Cognitive expertise

  Demonstrate practice-related and practice environment–related knowledge to provide quality care (re-certification exam)

• Part IV - Assessment of practice performance

  Demonstrate use of best evidence and practices compared to peers and national benchmarks

Specific requirements, options for meeting them and timeframes vary per specialty board.