Teamwork Mandate Headed for MOC

SAN DIEGO – Hospitalists undergoing maintenance of certification may soon be required to complete a module focused on team-based care, but be allowed drop one requirement related to practice improvement.

Currently, hospitalists who choose to recertify using the focused practice in hospital medicine maintenance of certification (MOC) program through the American Board of Internal Medicine have the option of substituting a teamwork module for 1 of the 2 required practice improvement modules, according to Dr. Jeffrey G. Wiese, past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and associate dean for graduate medical education at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"The eventual goal will be to have the teamwork module a required part of the hospital medicine MOC process," he said. "We are hoping this will occur in 2014."

Hospitalists are dedicated to team-based care and the change reflects that focus, Dr. Wiese said.

Dr. Wiese, who spoke about the MOC process during the SHM annual meeting, addressed some of the confusion around the differences between MOC for hospital medicine vs. standard internal medicine. "This is not as confusing as it may first look," Dr. Wiese said.

Requirements for the two MOC pathways are very similar, he said. For instance, both pathways have the same four elements, and beginning this summer, both pathways will have the same renewal frequency for the various required elements.

Both pathways share the requirement that physicians be board certified and have a valid license to practice medicine. Physicians in the hospital medicine pathway are also required to attest to being a hospitalist by meeting a threshold of inpatient encounters and to be Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified.

The second element is the secure examination. Physicians in both pathways must take a secure exam every 10 years, but the content on the two exams is different. Dr. Wiese said hospitalists will find that the hospital medicine exam is "focused on content that you actually use as a hospitalist."

The third element is the self-evaluation requirement. The standard internal medicine MOC requires physicians to complete 1 practice improvement module every 5 years. The hospital medicine MOC currently requires completion of 2 practice improvement modules every 5 years, with the option of using the team-based module as a substitute for one of the practice improvement modules. The eventual goal, anticipated for 2014, is that the hospital medicine MOC pathway will require completion of the team-based module, and the practice improvement requirement will drop from two to one, making the requirements for practice improvement the same in both the hospitalist and internal medicine MOC pathways.

Currently, physicians in the hospital medicine focused practice MOC pathway are also required to complete one less medical knowledge module than their counterparts in the standard internal medicine MOC pathway.

Hospitalists have many good reasons to pay attention to the MOC process, said Dr. Patrick J. Torcson, chair of SHM’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Committee. In addition to the professional satisfaction that comes with being up-to-date on medical knowledge, payers are beginning to recognize the process. Medicare is offering a 0.5% bonus payment on allowable Medicare charges for physicians who participate in the MOC process. "For the typical hospitalist, that’s about $700 over the 10-year cycle, allowing them to defray part of the cost of the MOC or continuing medical education," said Dr. Torcson, who is the director of hospital medicine at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington, La.

"I think it’s really the right thing to do for our developing specialty," he said. "We really have to distinguish ourselves and there’s really no better brand distinction than a professional designation based on board certification and maintenance of certification."

SAN DIEGO – Hospitalists undergoing maintenance of certification may soon be required to complete a module focused on team-based care, but be allowed drop one requirement related to practice improvement.

Currently, hospitalists who choose to recertify using the focused practice in hospital medicine maintenance of certification (MOC) program through the American Board of Internal Medicine have the option of substituting a teamwork module for 1 of the 2 required practice improvement modules, according to Dr. Jeffrey G. Wiese, past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and associate dean for graduate medical education at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"The eventual goal will be to have the teamwork module a required part of the hospital medicine MOC process," he said. "We are hoping this will occur in 2014."

Hospitalists are dedicated to team-based care and the change reflects that focus, Dr. Wiese said.

Dr. Wiese, who spoke about the MOC process during the SHM annual meeting, addressed some of the confusion around the differences between MOC for hospital medicine vs. standard internal medicine. "This is not as confusing as it may first look," Dr. Wiese said.

Requirements for the two MOC pathways are very similar, he said. For instance, both pathways have the same four elements, and beginning this summer, both pathways will have the same renewal frequency for the various required elements.

Both pathways share the requirement that physicians be board certified and have a valid license to practice medicine. Physicians in the hospital medicine pathway are also required to attest to being a hospitalist by meeting a threshold of inpatient encounters and to be Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified.

The second element is the secure examination. Physicians in both pathways must take a secure exam every 10 years, but the content on the two exams is different. Dr. Wiese said hospitalists will find that the hospital medicine exam is "focused on content that you actually use as a hospitalist."

The third element is the self-evaluation requirement. The standard internal medicine MOC requires physicians to complete 1 practice improvement module every 5 years. The hospital medicine MOC currently requires completion of 2 practice improvement modules every 5 years, with the option of using the team-based module as a substitute for one of the practice improvement modules. The eventual goal, anticipated for 2014, is that the hospital medicine MOC pathway will require completion of the team-based module, and the practice improvement requirement will drop from two to one, making the requirements for practice improvement the same in both the hospitalist and internal medicine MOC pathways.

Currently, physicians in the hospital medicine focused practice MOC pathway are also required to complete one less medical knowledge module than their counterparts in the standard internal medicine MOC pathway.

Hospitalists have many good reasons to pay attention to the MOC process, said Dr. Patrick J. Torcson, chair of SHM’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Committee. In addition to the professional satisfaction that comes with being up-to-date on medical knowledge, payers are beginning to recognize the process. Medicare is offering a 0.5% bonus payment on allowable Medicare charges for physicians who participate in the MOC process. "For the typical hospitalist, that’s about $700 over the 10-year cycle, allowing them to defray part of the cost of the MOC or continuing medical education," said Dr. Torcson, who is the director of hospital medicine at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington, La.

"I think it’s really the right thing to do for our developing specialty," he said. "We really have to distinguish ourselves and there’s really no better brand distinction than a professional designation based on board certification and maintenance of certification."

SAN DIEGO – Hospitalists undergoing maintenance of certification may soon be required to complete a module focused on team-based care, but be allowed drop one requirement related to practice improvement.

Currently, hospitalists who choose to recertify using the focused practice in hospital medicine maintenance of certification (MOC) program through the American Board of Internal Medicine have the option of substituting a teamwork module for 1 of the 2 required practice improvement modules, according to Dr. Jeffrey G. Wiese, past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and associate dean for graduate medical education at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"The eventual goal will be to have the teamwork module a required part of the hospital medicine MOC process," he said. "We are hoping this will occur in 2014."

Hospitalists are dedicated to team-based care and the change reflects that focus, Dr. Wiese said.

Dr. Wiese, who spoke about the MOC process during the SHM annual meeting, addressed some of the confusion around the differences between MOC for hospital medicine vs. standard internal medicine. "This is not as confusing as it may first look," Dr. Wiese said.

Requirements for the two MOC pathways are very similar, he said. For instance, both pathways have the same four elements, and beginning this summer, both pathways will have the same renewal frequency for the various required elements.

Both pathways share the requirement that physicians be board certified and have a valid license to practice medicine. Physicians in the hospital medicine pathway are also required to attest to being a hospitalist by meeting a threshold of inpatient encounters and to be Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certified.

The second element is the secure examination. Physicians in both pathways must take a secure exam every 10 years, but the content on the two exams is different. Dr. Wiese said hospitalists will find that the hospital medicine exam is "focused on content that you actually use as a hospitalist."

The third element is the self-evaluation requirement. The standard internal medicine MOC requires physicians to complete 1 practice improvement module every 5 years. The hospital medicine MOC currently requires completion of 2 practice improvement modules every 5 years, with the option of using the team-based module as a substitute for one of the practice improvement modules. The eventual goal, anticipated for 2014, is that the hospital medicine MOC pathway will require completion of the team-based module, and the practice improvement requirement will drop from two to one, making the requirements for practice improvement the same in both the hospitalist and internal medicine MOC pathways.

Currently, physicians in the hospital medicine focused practice MOC pathway are also required to complete one less medical knowledge module than their counterparts in the standard internal medicine MOC pathway.

Hospitalists have many good reasons to pay attention to the MOC process, said Dr. Patrick J. Torcson, chair of SHM’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Committee. In addition to the professional satisfaction that comes with being up-to-date on medical knowledge, payers are beginning to recognize the process. Medicare is offering a 0.5% bonus payment on allowable Medicare charges for physicians who participate in the MOC process. "For the typical hospitalist, that’s about $700 over the 10-year cycle, allowing them to defray part of the cost of the MOC or continuing medical education," said Dr. Torcson, who is the director of hospital medicine at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington, La.

"I think it’s really the right thing to do for our developing specialty," he said. "We really have to distinguish ourselves and there’s really no better brand distinction than a professional designation based on board certification and maintenance of certification."