Maintenance of Certification (MOC), also known as Continuing or Continuous Certification, is the process by which a physician maintains their board certification status. 

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Program for MOC involves ongoing measurement of six core competencies defined by ABMS and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME):

• Practice-based Learning and Improvement
• Patient Care and Procedural Skills
• Systems-based Practice
• Medical Knowledge
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Professionalism

There are 4 main components to maintaining board certification, although specific requirements may differ by board:

• Professionalism
• Lifelong Learning
• Self Assessment
• Quality Improvement

* For more information, visit https://www.abms.org/board-certification/staying-board-certified/

Types of MOC Credit

Through Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Stanford Medicine is able to provide Maintenance of Certification/Continuous Certification credit to physicians for

• Accredited CME AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ that count toward MOC requirements
• MOC Part 2 - Accredited CME with Self-Assessment Lifelong Learning and/or Self-Assessment
• MOC Part 4 - Accredited CME Improvement Activity Improvement in Medical Practice
• Patient Safety 

MOC Credit Type & Participating Board

*Additional board requirements may apply

Stanford CME offers services to award Maintenance of Certification (MOC) for live activities, webinars, live event streaming, and online activities. Including but not limited to the following:

• Consultation of Self Assessment Evaluation methods
• Collection of required physician information 
• Submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit 

* CME fee may apply

Compliance Process & Requirements

The Stanford CME team will help ensure that individual board, AMA, Joint Accreditation, and Stanford Medicine requirements are met and offer Maintenance of Certification (MOC).

Accredited CME refers to boards that accept CME Credits (AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™) toward MOC requirements

Participating Boards:

• American Board of Anesthesiology 
• American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery 
• American Board of Pathology 
• American Board of Surgery
• American Board of Thoracic Surgery

Activity Planning

Activity must be accredited for CME.

Refer to ACTIVITY PLANNING TOOLKIT for more information on accrediting a CME activity.

Request a Consultation on a Continuing Education (CE) Activity

Evaluation

Attendees are required to complete the CME activity evaluation.

MOC Part 2 refers to an Accredited CME Activity that includes a Self Assessment component.

Participating Boards:

• American Board of Internal Medicine
• American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery 
• American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 
• American Board of Pediatrics
• American Board of Surgery 
• American Board of Thoracic Surgery

Activity Planning

Activity must be accredited for CME.

Refer to ACTIVITY PLANNING TOOLKIT for more information on accrediting a CME activity.

Request a Consultation on a Continuing Education (CE) Activity

Evaluation

All activities must include a comprehensive evaluation component that assesses individual learner competence, performance, and/or the impact on patient outcomes.

• An MOC evaluation method needs to be selected & employed to be able to identify individual learning (not anonymous). 
• A participation threshold will be determined by the CME office with input from the activity planners.
• The learner must meet the participation threshold set by the provider before credit is reported.
• Must include feedback to participants, identifying learner results with rationales for correct answers or attainment of applicable skill(s), and/or relevant citations where appropriate

Refer to MOC Evaluation Methods for more detailed information on evaluation methods and specific requirements.

MOC Part 4 refers to an Accredited Improvement Activity that includes an Improvement in Medical Practice component.

Participating Boards:

• American Board of Internal Medicine
• American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
• American Board of Pathology
• American Board of Thoracic Surgery

Contact us at stanfordmoc@stanford.edu for more information.

Patient Safety refers to an Accredited CME Activity that includes a Patient Safety component.

*Must be accredited to at least one of the MOC credit types.

Participating Boards:

• American Board of Anesthesiology 
• American Board of Internal Medicine 
• American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
• American Board of Thoracic Surgery

Must be accredited for CME and address at least one of the following topics:

1. Foundational knowledge:

• Epidemiology of error: should prepare physicians to discuss the key definitions that underpin current patient safety efforts
• Fundamentals of patient safety improvement (plan, do, study, act or PDSA): should engage physicians in a PDSA cycle focused on patient safety
• Culture of safety: should identify the specific elements, (i.e., the beliefs, attitudes and values about work and risks) that contribute to safety culture

2. Prevention of adverse events (examples include, but are not limited to):

• Medication safety (e.g., medication reconciliation, safe use of analgesics and sedatives, identification and remediation of polypharmacy in the elderly)
• Prevention of healthcare acquired infections
• Falls prevention
• Teamwork and care coordination

Contact us at stanfordmoc@stanford.edu for more information.

What is Maintenance of Certification/Continuous Certification?

Maintenance of Certification (MOC), also known as Continuing or Continuous Certification is the process by which a board certified physician who has initially become in the specialty practice of their choice maintains their board certification status. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Program for MOC involves ongoing measurement of six core competencies defined by ABMS and the AccreditationCouncil for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Where can I see my board specific certification requirements?

For more information on specific board requirements, visit https://www.abms.org/board-certification/staying-board-certified/

How do I find activities that offer MOC credits?

Stanford CME Activities - visit our website

Other Activities - visit ACCME CME Passport

MOC Quiz Questions Guidelines

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)

ACCME - CME that Counts for MOC

Board Contacts

• ABA diplimates: cme@theba.org
• ABIM diplomates: request@abim.org
• ABOHNS diplomates: moc@aboto.org
• ABP diplomates: MOCAMpeds@abpeds.org
• ABPath diplomates: John@abpath.org
• ABS diplomates: cc@absurgery.org
• ABTS diplomates: continuinged@abts.org

MOC related questions:

Contact stanfordmoc@stanford.edu