“Performance in Practice” Modules in the American Board of Family Medicine Maintenance of Certfication for Family Physicians Process.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) adopted in 2000 the concept of “Maintenance of Certification” (MOC) for the 24 U.S. medical specialty boards. The MOC concept entails 4 main components: evidence of professional standing, evidence of commitment to lifelong learning, evidence of cognitive expertise as demonstrated by performance on a secure examination, and evidence of evaluation of performance in practice. The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) has traditionally assessed professional standing by requiring certification candidates to possess an unrestricted license to practice medicine. Continuing education activities have served as a proxy for demonstrating a commitment to life-long learning, and minimal chart audits have served as evidence for evaluation of performance in practice. With implementation of the Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians (MC-FP) process in 2004, ABFM has modified these activities to reflect the prospective ongoing assessment approach adopted by ABMS.