Maintenance of Certification

The American Academy of Neurology is providing the following information to help educate members about the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) requirements for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and how the requirements impact neurologists.

• What Is Maintenance of Certification?
• What Is the Purpose of MOC?
• How Does Maintenance of Certification Affect Neurologists?
• What Are the Components of MOC?
• How Does the AAN Help Members with Their MOC Needs?
• How Do I Maintain Records of My MOC Activities?
• How Do I Obtain More Information About MOC?
• Additional MOC-related FAQs

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is an initiative of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to ensure that physician specialists offer quality patient care through an ongoing process of self-improvement and performance improvement. MOC is not an American Academy of Neurology mandated initiative.

With so much attention on medical errors and liability issues, as well as spiraling health care costs, the public is demanding that their physicians demonstrate expertise and competence. The ABMS established the MOC program as a professional response to the need for public accountability and transparency. The program is designed to document physician competence and improve medical care. The MOC program is recognized as an important quality marker by insurers, hospitals, and credentialing organizations.

Maintenance of certification (MOC) will have some impact on all US and Canadian neurologists because of the ever-changing landscape of health care. MOC will continue to have importance for neurologists throughout their career, but it will have more immediate impact on neurologists certified by the ABPN after October 1994, who are obligated every 10 years to meet or exceed the MOC requirements in order to maintain their ABPN-certified neurologist status. Each 10-year MOC cycle culminates with the MOC cognitive examination.

All certificates issued by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) after October 1, 1994, are 10-year, time-limited certificates and expire on December 31, 10 years from the year of the examination. Diplomates who are not recertified before their certificates expire are no longer Board certified in that area.

View the Phase-In Schedule for ABPN MOC Program Component Requirements.

MOC is an ongoing process through which a diplomate's credentials, licensure, and professional standing are verified and his or her knowledge and practice performance are evaluated. The ABPN MOC program is comprised of four components:

• Professional Standing
• Self-assessment and CME
• Cognitive Expertise
• Performance in Practice

The AAN offers many resources to help members meet their MOC needs for the following components:

Self-assessment:

• AAN's NeuroSAE® (Neurology Self-Assessment Examination)
• Post-reading questions from Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology®
• Quintessentials' program modules

Learn more about the self-assessment component of MOC.

CME:

• AAN Fall Conferences
• AAN Annual Meetings
• Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology®
• Quintessentials®
• Neurology® online CME
• AAN Practice Management Webinars
• Neurology Podcasts
• NeuroSAE IV
• NeuroTracker: Track your complete history of CME credits earned and look up your transcript online.

Learn more about the CME component of MOC.

Introducing NeuroPI℠, a new online program to help members meet performance in practice requirements in addition to earning CME.

NeuroPI, Performance Improvement in Neurology.

Diplomates of the ABPN are required to maintain records of their self-assessment (SA) activities, Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, and Performance in Practice (PIP) Units. Diplomates must provide their signature attesting to completion of these activities (as determined by the phase-in schedule) on their applications for the MOC examinations. When the MOC Program is fully operational, attestation to all components will be required on applications for the MOC examinations.

Diplomates are responsible for choosing their self-assessment activities, CME activities, and performance in practice components.

The ABPN will audit approximately five percent of the applications submitted for the cognitive examination. Candidates whose applications are audited will receive a letter detailing the documentation required as evidence of completion of stipulated components (professional standing, self-assessment program, CME activities, and Performance in Practice Units) as determined by the phase-in schedule. Failure to return this documentation may result in the denial of the application for the MOC cognitive examination. (Please note: process details are subject to change.)

The AAN's NeuroTracker allows members to conveniently track their complete history of CME credits earned.

More information about MOC is available on the ABPN website. The ABPN is the official source for up-to-date information regarding MOC requirements, which are subject to change. Visit the ABPN website frequently for current information and contact the ABPN directly if you have specific questions regarding your certification.