The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is considering new ways to improve its Certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) programs, including putting an end to the 10-year MOC exam.

Ending the 10-year exam was one of the many recommendations given to ABIM by the Assessment 2020 Task Force, an independent group made up of ABIM leadership and experts from a variety of relevant industries. The full recommendation is to replace the 10-year exam with assessments viewed as less burdensome.

The task force also recommended an increased focus on cognitive skills and technical skills, and specialized certification without the requirement to maintain underlying certificates.

“The Assessment 2020 Task Force members provided useful insights and recommendations that will be instrumental as we reshape certification to meet physicians' and society's changing needs,” Clarence H. Braddock III, MD, chair of the ABIM Board of Directors, said in a statement. “We now need to hear constructive feedback from the internal medicine community on these recommendations, begin to determine their feasibility and develop implementation plans where needed.”

“Feedback collected by the Assessment 2020 Task Force is very consistent with feedback ABIM is hearing from the community regarding the MOC program,” Richard J. Baron, MD, ABIM president and CEO, said in the same statement. “These recommendations are meant to be a catalyst for further discussion and can ultimately lead to an improved MOC program for diplomates.”

A subcommittee is currently looking into implementation of all of the task force’s recommendations.

Additional information, including the full report, can be viewed on the Assessment 2020 Task Force’s website.