What doctors are saying.

Most  physicians feel that the Maintenance Of Certification(MOC) is irrelevant to practice and keeps us from our patients.

Over 85% of physicians are against the Maintenance of Certification(MOC) nationwide and anyone actually having to do MOC are against linking it with licensure.  Our survey of the psychiatric society in 2014 is consistent with the nationwide surveys. Although depending on the specialty the hate of MOC can be greater.

75% felt MOC to be irrelevant to their practice, and was NOT necessary to maintain public confidence in our profession.
77% believed that MOC should be abolished.
80% did NOT believe that MOC would lead to better patient care and, in fact, believed that it would tend to make care worse.
80% felt that MOC should NOT be required for medical licensure.
82% found the MOC requirements confusing.
85% stated that there was NO evidence that MOC improved clinical care. The same number believed it was too expensive.

Current Bills 2017

Rhode Island House Bills – H5671, H5672, H5673

A. H5672, H5673 – Two bills are related to reciprocal licensure.  Essentially, if you have a valid unrestricted license in another state with similar requirements, we will accept your license in Rhode Island if you complete a form and pay your fee. Maryland passed a similar law this past summer and other states like Ohio have similar laws.  Other states like Virginia and Arizona are planning similar laws.  This bill will make it very easy for physicians already licensed elsewhere to start working in Rhode Island.

B.  H5671 – The third bill seeks to  reduce physician burnout by minimizing the time and money required of physicians by private out of state companies to practice medicine in Rhode Island, through adopting an anti-MOC law similar to those in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, and North Carolina.  Many other states including New York, Missouri, Michigan, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, and Florida are following suit. 

View House Bills online or download.

H5671       PDF       Online

H5672       PDF       Online

H5673       PDF       Online

 

Sign Our Petitions

Tell us who you are, your specialty, our goals are to help all doctors that practice in our start or want to practice in our state.

Many thanks to the 378 doctors, and supporters that signed our petitions. We appreciate each and every one of you. See what other Rhode Island doctors are saying about the Maintenance of Certification at the bottom of this page.

Medical practice has always included lifelong learning, and continuing medical education is required for state licensure. The American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program has no objective evidence of any benefit to patient care beyond the initial board certification exam. As the demands of this program have developed exponentially, a physician who  declines to “pay to play” can face loss of hospital privileges, employment, and insurance panel membership (1).

To protect the rights of physicians, combat restraint of trade, and ensure patient access to care, some states have enacted legislation opposing MOC. Kentucky prohibited making MOC a condition of licensure. Oklahoma passed the “Right to Care” law, protecting licensure, reimbursement, employment, and hospital privileges from MOC. Legislation is pending in Michigan and Missouri, and developing in Florida, Texas and Maryland (2). At least 19 medical societies have resolutions against the MOC (3) and the Pennsylvania Medical Society issued a vote of no confidence in the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).  This year the American Medical Association (AMA) passed a resolution calling for “…the immediate end of any mandatory, secured recertifying examination…as part of the recertification process..." (4).

Rhode Island needs to ensure that Maintenance of Certification (MOC) remains a voluntary process, with a "Right to Care" law, such as:

§ 5-37-2.2 Not withstanding any provision of this act to the contrary, as a condition of licensure, practicing, reimbursement, and admitting privileges at all healthcare facilities within the state, a physician shall not be required to undergo "Maintenance of Certification" (MOC). MOC shall mean a continuing professional education program, subsequent to an initial board certification, measuring core competencies in the practice of medicine and surgery, overseen by a national or regional accrediting organization. Nothing in the act shall interfere with Section 5-37-2.1.

Such a law will ensure that physicians not participating in MOC will not be restricted and that MOC will not be required for licensure in the future, in keeping with RI Medical Society’s position.

When a doctor’s ability to practice is so restricted, insurance panels lose physicians and patients lose their freedom to choose (5). Doctors should have the freedom to choose MOC or other educational programs. We ask that RI enact its own "Right to Care" Law.

References
1. http://rebel.md/what-happens-when-you-stop-doing-moc/
2. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/862331
3. http://rebel.md/state-medical-society-resolutions-against-moc/
4. http://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/ama/58594
5. http://jointhewedge.com/about/

Save

Some of our many supports... We thank you...

I agree that MOC is costly in time for me and patient's, as an example, I was working on a ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIMs) when I get a notice that ABIM has decided to retire most PIMs due in part to the decision to not require Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient safety in the MOC program. I didn't get any credit for hard work collecting data and patient's participation in this module.

Wilfredo Curioso, Barrington, RI
 

 

I have been practicing psychiatry for 26 + years, have passed ABPN boards a few times thru the years, I am of sound mind, no symptoms of dementia and do not have other medical conditions nor any substance abuse issues that have diminished my capacity to deliver quality medical care. I know more over time about the issues necessary to care for my patients and taking weeks of time to study for expensive broad non evidenced based tests, and meet non evidenced based other criteria as demanded by ABPN will keep me from staying on top of my patient care, responding to my patients in a timely basis and having time for focused reading regarding what I need to deliver safe care.

Mindy Rosenbloom, Barrington, RI
 
 

 

I work as a pediatrician in ri but live in ma and therefore want to make sure I can sign this petition. I do want to sign

Claire Flanagan, East Greenwich, RI
 
 

 

I believe the changes in this bill will be onerous for all physicians practicing in RI and will make RI less attractive to physicians wishing to enter the state

Arnold Herman, Pawtucket, RI
 
 

 

It's a bad bill and bad law to require MOC for licensure. The series of investgative articles in Newsweek and elsewhere have shown how the Rube Goldbergesque MOC process exists more for providing income for the ABMS' overpaid administrators and their prodigal expenses than in assuring quality.

Frank Savoretti, JD, MD, Johnston, RI
 
 

 

I am signing to maintain local control of licensure

Allen Dennison, East Providence, RI
 

 

The definition of physician in this bill is too narrow and essentially forces physicians to be bound to a 3rd party certifying board. Additionally, Rhode Island physicians and Rhode Islander's who like having physicians in their state, would be at a competitive disadvantage with this bill.

Jonathan Martin, MD, East Greenwich, RI
 
 

 

If this were to pass in the legislature, it would be a complete disaster for RI healthcare. I am very much aware of the majority mind set amongst physicians on these issues...if this were to pass, I would pursue other entrepreneurial opportunities and cease to practice primary care/internal medicine which would leave thousands of active patients in my practice without a primary care provider especially since others in my geography are older and not accepting new patients and even if they were accepting new patients, where would 5000 patients that I care for go? There are not enough PCPs to care for this volume of patients as RI can not compete with other states in terms of attracting new doctors into the state. Many physicians are no longer board certified by choice and would not go through the expense, time and energy to do so, especially if they were closer to retirement. MOC does not in any way provide for better patient care and the ABMS is under significant scrutiny nationwide and considering changing the requirements. Many RI physicians who can't afford to retire would seek licensure and practice in Massachusetts and Connecticut and those again RI would be on the verge of a disaster in terms of patients being able to find quality physicians.

Scott Wilson, Lincoln, RI
 
 

 

A for profit org pretending to be a non-profit altruistic one is asking to gain control of medical licensing under the guise of "efficiency ".

Frank Faltus, Providence, RI
 
 

 

Unless an expensive, controversial, time consuming process like the MOC program improves the quality/safety of practicing physicians it should not be a requirement. Simplifying the licensure process is important for getting new physicians started in our State but the requirements should be of value.

Michelle Anvar, Providence, RI
 
 

 

I am a physician who would consider retiring early, or relocating, if this bill is passed.

Farrel Klein, Providence, RI
 

 

Bad policy that will not benefit patients, but instead hinder doctors and enrich special interests.

Robert and Katherine Hart, Barrington, RI
 
 

 

I'm a physician and I oppose unreasonably burdensome and irrelevant mandates such as MOC.

Kara Nugent, Providence, RI
 
 

 

I oppose the Compact, even if maintenance of certification wasn't part of it

Howard Schulman, East Providence, RI
 
 

 

The MOC requirement is putative and should not be a condition for licensure.

Molly Tracy, MD, Providence, RI
 
 

 

No studies showing benefit of MOC program, which is in complete disarray and continuously changing, doesn't make any sense to involve this w licensure

Nancy Freeman, Lincoln, RI
 
 

 

The American Board of Medical Specialties and it's MOC program are actually ruining medicine. They are causing doctors to quit their specialties and subspecialties and retire early. They are contributing to the burnout of doctors across the United States. Most doctors feel like they are being extorted by this company and are contemplating ways to quit medicine before engaging in any more of their extortion programs.

Dr McInteer, Jamestown, RI
 

 

I believe this is going to affect physicians in RI negatively

Cynthia Lewis, Wakefield, RI
 
 

 

as a part time pediatrician who works in two states, it is more important to obtain CME in one's specialty than to fill the money bags of the AAP with their MOC requirements. MOC is not able to fully define if a neonatologist is capable of resuscitating an infant quickly using up to date information. MOC is irrelevant in judging the character of a physician. I oppose MOC and the exorbitant fees imposed.

Mary Lenore Keszler, North Kingstown, RI
 

 

it seems to just add more red tape

Deb Doolittle, wakefield, RI
 
 

 

MOC IS A MONEY MAKER FOR THE TEST, and not a measure of physician competence. It is a meaningless, burdensome exercise.

Susan Grant, Shrewsbury, NJ
 
 

 

MOC is unethical.

Mark Brody, Providence, RI
 
 

 

This notice is not "common knowledge" and it needs to be seen and discussed: although forecasted.

Lynn Sevigny-Coombs, Riverside, RI
 
 

 

The definition of physician is Wrong!

James R. McCartney, Barrington, RI
 
 

 

don't agree with the premise of the bill

salman bashir, Warwick, RI
 

 

I care for my patients and colleagues

Kazi Salahuddin, Providence, RI
 

 

I participate in MOC but it is expensive and time consuming.The 40 CME credits should be enough.

Dante Ramos, Pawtucket, RI
4 months ago
 

 
I agree
Lowell Rubin, Providence, RI

 

Let's make board certification meaningful!

Albert Puerini, Jr., M.D., Cranston, RI

 

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