ABIM, ASCO to build new pathway for maintenance of board certification

May 18, 2018|Oncology Practice

The American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Society of Clinical Oncology are collaborating on a new pathway that will offer oncologists some additional flexibility in how they maintain board certification.

Beginning in 2020, oncologists will have a choice as to how they will maintain certification. They can continue to take the ABIM maintenance of certification exam every 10 years, or they can take a shorter assessment that is being developed by the two organizations every 2 years that will reflect the specialization and expertise of oncologists. The new assessment pathway will focus on core oncology topic areas and will also have a section that will allow doctors to focus on the area of oncology they are practicing, according to a press statement from ABIM.

The new 2-year option developed by the two groups will replace ABIM’s planned 2-year Knowledge Check-In in Medical Oncology that was scheduled to begin in 2020. ASCO membership is not required to follow the 2-year assessment pathway.

“The new assessment pathway is the result of more than 2 years of input and feedback from ASCO members, as well as our desire to collaborate with ABIM because of their recognized expertise in assessments,” ASCO CEO Clifford A. Hudis, MD, said in the statement. “Our dual goals for reshaping the recertification process are to ensure that assessment better reflects the realities of cancer care and recognizes oncologists for their knowledge gained through educational and quality improvement activities.”

gtwachtman@mdedge.com