There are many ways to fulfill your Performance Improvement requirement for ABFM continuous certification, and thanks to the quick thinking of Dr. Wendy Biggs, a new option has just arrived.

Dr. Biggs of Saginaw, MI, teaches in a residency clinic alongside five other faculty members and 18 residents. By working on quality improvement, improving their no-show rate, and getting patients more involved with their own care, Dr. Biggs’ practice had recently earned Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recertification from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS).

Searching the Performance Improvement list in her MyABFM portfolio, Dr. Biggs didn’t see PCMH as an option. Because PCMH is a predominant certification in the state of Michigan, she knew she had to reach out to ABFM.

“More family practices in the Michigan area are BCBS certified. We’re seeing a significant shift away from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), at least in this area,” Dr. Biggs said. “I called the support center and was connected with Ann Williamson (Performance Improvement Program Manager). I explained the situation to Ann. She did her homework, and the BCBS PCMH was added as a Performance Improvement activity that same day!”

Now, any family physician participating in the BCBS PCMH certification program can submit this for PI credit as part of their continuous certification stage requirements. Instructions for Diplomates to meet their PI requirement and receive 20 points toward the 50-point stage requirement are:

• Sign into your MyABFM Portfolio with an electronic copy of your PCMH certification available. 

• Type PCMH into the search bar and click “My Activities.” 

• Click Blue Cross Blue Shield and “Start the Activity.”

• You may then upload your PCMH certification and complete the attestations as directed.

Being a board-certified family physician indicates your commitment to making ongoing improvements in your practice to improve the processes, experience, and outcomes of care for patients and their families. Importantly, ABFM is committed to recognizing the quality improvement efforts that physicians are already engaged in as part of their practice and avoiding unnecessary burden of doing something “extra” just to meet certification requirements.

“ABFM just wants to recognize that board certified physicians are improving patient care. Every physician should be interested in doing so,” said Dr. Biggs. “There are so many ways to earn that PI credit. Just tell ABFM what you’re doing and how. Contact them, and they’ll help you.”

If your practice is PCMH certified through NCQA, Joint Commission, or BCBS, be sure to submit this information to receive your PI credit today. If your practice is PCMH certified through another organization, please contact Ann Williamson at [email protected] to assess if this meets PI requirements.