MOC Toolkit
Welcome to the ACC's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) online resource.
If you hold a valid time-limited ABIM Board Certification in Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology, or Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, to recertify you enroll and participate in MOC. MOC includes a secure computer-based examination, verification of credentials, self assessment in medical knowledge and practice improvement, and, for Interventional Cardiology, procedural requirements. The self-assessment can be completed at any time throughout the certification cycle, and the exam can be taken in years six through 10.
The ACC and ABIM have several resources to help you – our members and Diplomates – negotiate your way through MOC. Use the tools and links on this page to get started.
Articles
Recertification in Interventional Cardiology  (JACC Interventions)
Association Between MOC Examination Scores and Quality of Care for Medicare Beneficiaries  (Arch Intern Med)
ACC Resources for MOC
Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge:Â
ACCSAP® 7  – covers the core curriculum of adult clinical cardiology and is an invaluable resource for honing your clinical judgment skills, preparing for initial certification or maintenance of certification. Available in print, online, and DVD formats, it includes a comprehensive but concise syllabus text, thousands of high-quality images, clinical trial summaries, guidelines, and more than 450 peer-reviewed, ABIM-style self-assessment questions. Purchasers of the ACCSAP 7 can obtain up to 80 medical knowledge points toward MOC.
CardioQuestions: General Cardiology  – is an online product consisting of 100 self-assessment questions that are designed to help you earn up to 40 medical knowledge points toward MOC, prepare for the Board exams, and/or identify clinical knowledge gaps. Questions within this product reflect all areas of general cardiology and are presented in batches of 50 so you can request CME and/or MOC credit in batches rather than all at once. Already own ACCSAP 7? Then this product is free to you.
CathSAP®3  – ACC and SCAI are pleased to offer CathSAP 3, the premier educational resource for staying up-to-date in the dynamic field of interventional cardiology. CathSAP 3 not only covers the core curriculum of interventional cardiology, it also includes hundreds of self-assessment questions to let you test your clinical knowledge and identify areas for improvement. The program offers 40 medical knowledge points toward MOC.
Board Prep Courses:
ACC also offers other educational options for physicians to prepare to meet ABIM MOC requirements. While some of these options will not earn points toward MOC, they offer a valuable educational opportunity for cardiologists engaged in the MOC process.
CV Disease:Â Â
The ACCF Cardiovascular Board Review for Certification and Recertification — whether you are a certifier or re-certifier preparing for the ABIM Board Exams or just want a comprehensive review of issues in cardiology today, this course is designed to meet your needs.
ACCF Study Session for ABIM Maintenance of Certification: ABIM's Cardiovascular Disease Updates 2009 and 2010 offered in collaboration with ABIM. Attendees will earn 10 medical knowledge points toward MOC. At the conclusion of the program, participants can transfer answers electronically to ABIM to receive credit.
Interventional Cardiology:
ACCF/SCAI Premier Interventional Cardiology Overview and Board Preparatory Course offers an unbiased and up-to-date, evidence-based review of interventional cardiology.
ACCF Study Session for ABIM Maintenance of Certification: Interventional Cardiology Updates 2009 and 2010Â offered in collaboration with ABIM, attendees will earn up to 20 medical knowledge points toward MOC. At the conclusion of the program, participants can transfer answers electronically to ABIM to receive credit.
Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance:
Self-Directed PIM (Practice Improvement Module®)
– ACC members may utilize the ACC-NCDR® measures and/or other data they collect to complete ABIM's Self-Directed PIM.
Keeping PACE: Patient-centered ACS Care Education (PI-ACS) addresses gaps in ACS care, as demonstrated in the ACC-NCDR® ACTION Registry® -GWTGâ„¢, through online and live educational activities combined with patient education resources. Cardiologists can acquire up to 20 CME/CE credits and also points toward their practice performance requirement.Â
A New ERA: Evidence-based Stroke Reduction in Atrial Fibrillation (PI-AFib) seeks to close the gap in stroke prevention performance measures as demonstrated in the ambulatory care registry program through live and online activities and materials, obtaining up to 20 CME/CE credits and also points toward their practice performance requirement.Â
ABIM Resources for MOC
MOC Enrollment Information and Policies
Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge
Among the options for cardiologists, interventional cardiology simulations are available at certain conferences and locations throughout the country.
Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance: Visit here for information about available PIMs and other practice performance options.
For specific requirements regarding cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, visit ABIM, go to "Get Information by Subspecialty," then select your area of interest.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Must all ACC members participate in MOC?
ABIM diplomates holding valid time-limited certificates (those who certified in 1990 or thereafter) are required to enroll and participate in MOC in order to maintain their certifications. ABIM and ACC encourage diplomates holding certificates that are valid indefinitely (those certified before 1990) to participate voluntarily.
2. Why participate in MOC?
Physicians need to be current with the exponential growth of new information relevant to all aspects of their medical practices. By participating in MOC, physicians maintain the clinical judgment and skills upon which high quality care depends. MOC is also an important credential recognized with hospitals, health systems, health plans, and the public.
3. How should I get started?
The first and most important step is to enroll with ABIM. Enter the Physician Login from the ABIM homepage. Log in to your Home Page and select Enroll in Maintenance of Certification Program. Follow the instructions and submit the enrollment form online.
4. Do I have to accumulate 100 points for each certificate that I hold?
No. If you hold more than one certificate (e.g., Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology), you only need to accumulate a total of 100 points of self-evaluation, with a minimum of 20 points in self-evaluation of medical knowledge and 20 points in self-evaluation of practice performance. Medical knowledge modules are worth 10 or 20 points each; PIMs are worth 20 or 40 points each. The points you earn are valid during your participation in MOC and can be applied to all certifications you are maintaining within that time frame.
5. When do I take the exam?
You must take the MOC exam for each time-limited certificate that you hold. You can take the exam in years 6 through 10 of your certification.
6. Do I have to earn all 100 points of self-evaluation before I take the exam?
No. You can complete self-evaluation components at any point in the MOC process after enrollment, beginning as early as year one. In fact, ABIM recommends that you spread out the requirements of MOC over time.
7. What is the best way for me to document and earn point credits for Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance?
ABIM's MOC program allows physicians to choose the option that best reflect their practices. In addition to the options offered by ABIM, ACC members can select the Self-Directed PIM using NCDR® measures for members in hospitals who participate in NCDR®. NCDR® is an ABIM-approved source of quality improvement data.
There are other PIMs available to cardiologists as well, including Hypertension, Preventive Cardiology, Hospital-Based Patient Care (heart failure and myocardial infarction), Communication with Subspecialists, and Communication with Referring Physicians.
You may team up with one or more physicians to collectively engage in quality improvement activities and complete the PIM using ABIM's Group PIM option.
8. What are the procedural requirements for Interventional Cardiologists?
If you are planning to renew your certificate in interventional cardiology, you are required to complete a Form Attesting Interventional Cardiology Practice to substantiate your performance as the primary operator, co-operator, or supervisor of at least 150 PCI cases during the two years prior to the expiration of your certificate. Please note that regardless of how many manipulations are performed in any one case, each case may count only as one procedure. You will also be asked to verify your participation in PCI quality improvement projects.
A candidate who is unable to meet the volume requirement may complete a procedural log of 25 consecutive PCI cases, including outcomes, in which he or she served as the primary operator during the two-year documentation period.
If you have questions, please call ABIM's Contact Center at 1-800-441-ABIM.
Requirements/Background
Those holding valid, time-limited certificates are required to enroll in MOC to maintain their certification. If your underlying cardiovascular disease certificate was issued in or after 1990, MOC is applicable to you. If you hold certificates in interventional cardiology or clinical cardiac electrophysiology, then MOC requirements are applicable to these time-limited certificates as well. ABIM began offering time-limited certificates in interventional cardiology in 1999 and in clinical cardiac electrophysiology in 1992.
MOC Components
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Verification of Credentials: remain licensed and in good standing
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The Secure Exam: you must pass the secure exam in your specialty
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Complete Self-Assessment:Â You will complete your self-assessment by earning points in two categories:
Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge (20 point minimum) and Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance (20 points minimum). The remaining 60 points can be in any combination of the two categories. Each of these points can count toward multiple certificates. For example, if you are maintaining certification in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease, you can apply your points to both certificates if the points are still valid when the certificates expire. Points are valid for 10 years.Â
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