Do You Still Need a Performance Improvement Activity?

As 2024 draws to a close, family physicians across the country are finalizing their certification activities. Each clinically active ABFM Diplomate must complete a Performance Improvement (PI) activity as part of their 3-year stage. PI activities show the steps physicians take to improve their practice and address care gaps among their patient population.

What have you worked to improve lately?

A common misconception about PI activities is that they must be complicated or research based. Simply tell ABFM what recent changes or projects have taken place to improve your practice.

“This is really about ongoing improvement,” said Performance Improvement Program Manager Ann Williamson. “There may be things physicians are doing in their practice that they don’t even realize qualifies as performance improvement. It can be as simple as improving patient satisfaction or wait times.”

One of the most popular PI activities that physicians choose is the “Self-Directed Clinical” activity, which allows Diplomates to report any recently completed clinical practice improvement work. Flexibility is key because every family physician employs different strategies and identifies different objectives when considering how to improve their practice.

“I really believe this is a journey and not a destination,” said ABFM Senior Advisor Dr. David Price. “Start with what you’re really trying to improve in your practice, and we can assist you in figuring out a way to get credit for the work you’re already doing as long as it meets a framework of ‘measure, intervene, re-measure, reflect for a clinical practice improvement.’”

Log in to your MyABFM Portfolio today to submit a Performance Improvement activity. If you need assistance, contact ABFM at help@theabfm.org or call 877-223-7437.