ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Approval Program Adds The Wisconsin Medical Society

Offers the Society's Members Opportunity to Maintain Board Certification and Improve Patient Health and Safety Throughout Wisconsin

News provided by

American Board of Medical Specialties

Dec 16, 2015, 11:00 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced that the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) has joined ABMS' Multi-Specialty Portfolio Approval Program^TM (Portfolio Program). Members of the Society who are Board Certified by one of 20 of the 24 ABMS Member Boards participating in the Portfolio Program may now receive maintenance of certification (MOC) credit for engagement in the Society's various performance improvement (PI) activities.

"Our participation in the ABMS Portfolio Program signifies our continued commitment to supporting our physicians' fulfillment of their specialty board requirements, while aligning those efforts with relevant quality improvement activities that directly impact the lives and health of Wisconsin residents," said Society Chief Executive Officer Rick Abrams.

With a long history as an accredited and recognized organization by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Society has either singularly developed or partnered with a variety of organizations to offer its nearly 13,000 members the opportunity to participate in performance improvement continuing medical education (PI CME) initiatives. Developing activities that are easy to integrate into its members' daily practice and workflow, the Society's participation in the ABMS Portfolio Program will allow its Board Certified physicians additional benefit from participating in its PI initiatives.

"We are pleased with the reception that the Portfolio Program continues to receive from a wide range of hospitals, health systems and health care organizations that are committed to actively engaging physicians in Quality Improvement (QI) and PI initiatives," said David W. Price, MD, FAAFP, FACEHP, Executive Director of the Portfolio Program. "The Wisconsin Medical Society's staff goes onsite to establish and implement its PI activities in a full range of settings—from large hospitals and health systems to large group practices and even smaller, rural-based private practices. We are pleased to be part of their dedicated efforts to improve the care delivered across the state of Wisconsin and to give credit to Board Certified physicians that are active in this work."

Currently, the Society is focused on the following three PI activities in both rural and urban areas in Wisconsin:

Advance care planning
Breast cancer screening
Patient experience

In addition, the Society offers a wide variety of professional development activities that directly address the key performance measures regarding patient experience that are increasingly important in today's value-based health care environment.

The Portfolio Program has helped engage more than 6,000 physicians in practice improvement initiatives at hospitals and health systems across the country (many showing improvement in care outcomes) and has recognized their participation with MOC-eligible credit. Since its inception, more than 7,500 QI efforts have been completed by Portfolio Program participants. For more information about participation in the Portfolio Program, visit the program website at http://mocportfolioprogram.org/become-a-portfolio-sponsor/.

About ABMS
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) continues to be the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and certification of physician specialists. More than 840,000 physicians are certified in one or more of the 150 specialties and subspecialties offered by the ABMS Member Boards. For more information about ABMS, visit www.abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

About the Wisconsin Medical Society
Created in 1841, the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) is the largest physician advocacy organization in Wisconsin, representing nearly 13,000 physicians and their patients. A trusted health policy leader and professional development resource, the Society represents the unified voice of physicians statewide on state and national health care issues, offers members innovative physician education and practice management resources, and accredits continuing medical education programs. For more information about the Society, visit www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org.

SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties