Kyle B. McIver, society relations liaison for the American Board of Internal Medicine, speaks with an ATS International Conference attendee about Maintenance of Certification.

For the first time, ATS International Conference attendees had the opportunity to earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) for attending regularly programmed sessions, and credits from the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) for attending postgraduate courses.

“I am delighted that adult and pediatric specialists at ATS 2012 are able to complete some of their MOC requirements while attending the International Conference,” said ATS Monica Kraft, MD, ATS president 2012-13 and a member of ABIM’s subspecialty board on pulmonary disease. “The ATS is the first respiratory society to help these subspecialists maintain their certifications by applying to the boards to award MOC points for content that has been programmed by the ATS.”

The ATS initiative comes as ABIM plans to revise its MOC standards beginning in 2013. Currently, ABIM requires recertifying physicians to earn 100 MOC points within 10 years. At least 20 of those points must come from the category of “Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge,” in which ATS 2012 attendees can earn points.

In 2010, the ABP began requiring pediatric subspecialists to earn 40 MOC points every five years in the category of “Lifelong Learning (Knowledge Self-Assessment Activity or Activities).”

Dr. Kraft credits the ATS Education and International Conference committees, as well as the Pediatrics Assembly, with working together to ensure that conference attendees maximize the use of their limited time by offering an educational program that also meets these recertification criteria.

“The ATS has long been recognized for offering the best science and the highest-quality clinical guidance during its International Conference,” said James M. Beck, MD, chair of the ATS Education Committee. “But that is not enough in this day when physicians’ time is stretched to the limit. We have to help our U.S.-based clinicians maximize their time by helping them meet their board certification requirements.”

Marc Hershenson, MD, a member of the ATS Education Committee, said that by offering ABP MOC credits at the International Conference, the Society took an important step.

“In the future, we want to cater even more to out pediatric pulmonologists, intensivists and neonatologists,” he said. “This experience will help us provide more and better MOC-oriented sessions at upcoming conferences.”

Dr. Beck said that although the changes in MOC are still being “worked out” by their respective boards, particularly the ABIM, the ATS is well-positioned to help its members and other professionals in the field meet these requirements. For ATS 2013, he said, the goal is to offer sessions that will enable attendees to earn MOC points in both adult and pediatric pulmonary and critical care, as well as sleep.

“This year is a bit of an experiment, but the good news is the ATS is ahead of the curve,” he said. “We can help the physician community and the boards achieve goals that are ultimately going to benefit our patients.”