ABD relaxes 2020 requirements
On March 27, the American Board of Dermatology announced significant changes to its 2020 MOC requirements for dermatologists in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes include:
- Cutting the required number of CertLink segments and questions for 2020 in half and extending due dates for the year
- Allowing those scheduled to take the secure exam in 2020 to switch to CertLink or postpone their exam for an extra six months to complete it (until June 2021)
- Waiving the 2020 CME requirement
- Deferring self-assessment to the end of 2021
- Allowing Diplomates to defer practice improvement exercises until the end of 2021 if they prefer
Dermatology World Weekly spoke with ABD Executive Director Thomas Horn, MD, about these changes.
DW Weekly: What were you hearing from Diplomates that led ABD to make these changes?
Dr. Horn: A few Diplomates had emailed the general inbox to inquire about what we’d be doing in response to COVID-19; I’d also heard from some people who know me personally. We’d been thinking more broadly about what continuing certification means and how it should fit into the life of a physician, and having real-life testimonials about the anxiety it was causing in this moment got us going. We understand the anxiety.
DW Weekly: Are other specialties making similar changes? Was ABD a leader in providing relief?
Dr. Horn: ABMS has convened several calls about this. But in terms of taking action, we are ahead. We didn’t want to wait for ABMS guidance — we wanted to relieve anxiety in real time.
DW Weekly: How have Diplomates responded to the announcement?
Dr. Horn: The ABD tends to hear more from people who are upset — but in this case we’ve received some grateful responses.
DW Weekly: How might this change play out in the long term? If COVID-19 remains a concern next year, as seems possible, could there be an extension of these changes?
Dr. Horn: We will respond to events. We have a duty to the public to provide a credential they can rely on, but not at the expense of the emotional well-being and time commitments of dermatologists. It’s difficult to deal in hypotheticals about the course of the virus, but for now we’ve made the next nine months manageable.
A quick side note: CertLink has been made user friendly and it’s not time consuming to complete the required questions. As a user myself, I can tell you: the thing that takes the most time is reading the articles, which is not an anxiety-producing activity; it’s actually fun. I hope others come away with the same impression.
DW Weekly: Might the experience of various ABMS boards with changing the rules for this year influence future decisions about how to handle certification?
Dr. Horn: No, because the ABD has already been working to make the continuing certification process more convenient and meaningful. The flexibility we’re providing this year is in keeping with that.
DW Weekly: In addition to these flexibilities for Diplomates, are there plans in development for handling residents who plan to sit for the initial exam in July but may not have completed case log or other requirements because of the pandemic?
Dr. Horn: We have to be pragmatic. In specific cases we’ve accepted a program director’s attestation that a person who may, for various reasons, have missed some training time is competent to practice independently and sit for the exam. Now, if the pandemic wiped out a whole year of training that would be problematic, but in the current scenario we should be able to accept evidence of structured self-study and attestations on the part of those responsible for overseeing the education of trainees.
Some of the issues for residents are simply beyond our control. Will we be able to offer an exam in Tampa in July? That depends on whether new infections are still happening at that point, whether the testing center has reopened. This is on our minds, and we are discussing options. We are hoping for a July timeline as scheduled, but need to remain flexible.
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