In late December, the American Board of Emergency Medicine sent letters to its diplomates outlining the process for Part 4 of its Maintenance of Certification program. ACEP does not set the requirements for continuous certification. However, because many ACEP members expressed confusion about the ABEM letter, ACEP is attempting to clarify the process for its members. ACEP President-Elect Sandy Schneider, M.D., had a conversation with ABEM President Debra Perina, M.D., to pose the frequently asked questions and elicit some ideas about how to best complete the Part 4 section. Here is an excerpt of their conversation. (For the entire transcription, visit www.ACEP.org.)

Dr. Sandy Schneider, ACEP President-Elect: The letter sent by ABEM outlines the requirements for Part 4 of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Can you tell me where the letter came from, the background behind these requirements, and the timing?

Dr. Debra Perina, ABEM President: The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the organization that oversees ABEM and the other 23 medical specialty boards. The ABMS set written requirements to guide MOC programs. All 24 ABMS member boards, which include ABEM, must develop a MOC program. Each specialty can add additional specificity in its requirements, consistent with the practice in their specialty. This program was developed in response to the patient safety movement, consumer advocacy groups, and the federal government asking for transparency and accountability in the physician ongoing education and credentialing process.

SS: Can you break this down so we can understand exactly what is going to happen? I see there are two parts. Start with the patient communication survey.

DP: The Communications Professional Activity must be conducted one time in your 10-year cycle, which starts at the point when you are certified or recertified. At one time during that 10-year cycle, each physician must complete an activity related to communication and professionalism.

If your hospital uses Press-Gainey and your patients are included in the results of that survey, you can use those results to meet this requirement. Many hospitals use that or other surveys to study communications between the physician and the patient. Acceptable surveys for Part 4 activities must include questions and measure communication/listening, providing information, and showing concern for the patient.

SS: My hospital uses Press-Gainey. Can I use the score from my department, or do I have to do more?

DP: It depends on the specific feedback you are receiving. If you are getting feedback related to your practice in particular, it would be applicable. It depends how the survey is structured, because some hospitals give you specific feedback and some don’t. Many hospitals have the information but just don’t drill down to that degree. You should definitely ask for specific feedback as a starting point.