The American Board of Anesthesiology® Announces Innovative Program to Increase Physicians' Knowledge

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Board of Anesthesiology® (ABA) today announced a comprehensive redesign of its Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program® (MOCA®). The new program, MOCA 2.0™, leverages best practices in adult learning theory and is designed to engage physicians in ongoing learning to stay up-to-date on evolving clinical practice. 

"We are committed to creating a maintenance of certification program that is relevant to everyday practice and will help board-certified anesthesiologists enhance their knowledge so that throughout their careers they continue to deliver high-quality patient care," said James P. Rathmell, M.D., secretary for the American Board of Anesthesiology. "We want physicians engaged in learning every day they are in practice. We've worked with our physicians to create a top-notch program that will help anesthesiologists improve clinical outcomes and patient safety."

Board certification is a voluntary process that many hospitals recognize as a standard that distinguishes physicians as high-quality practitioners prepared to deliver excellent care to patients. It involves a rigorous assessment that demonstrates a physician's expertise in a medical specialty. Physicians typically pursue initial certification at the end of residency and those who successfully complete the process earn board-certified or diplomate status. Initial certification is followed by Maintenance of Certification, which assesses whether physicians are keeping their knowledge and skills current in subsequent years. Nationally, 24 member boards, including the ABA, operate under the guidance of the American Board of Medical Specialties, which sets standards for practice excellence across multiple medical specialties. 

The Maintenance of Certification program assesses four areas: Professionalism and Professional Standing; Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment; Knowledge, Judgment, and Skills; and Improvement in Medical Practice. The ABA has worked collaboratively with volunteer anesthesiologists to conceptualize and design the framework for redesigning these assessments in MOCA 2.0.

The MOCA 2.0 program will be an online portal that uses continuous assessment to identify knowledge gaps and offer targeted educational tools to help fill those gaps. It is designed to provide customized learning that is specific to physicians' specialized areas of practice. At the core of the new platform is the MOCA Minute™, which evaluates physicians' knowledge on an ongoing basis using multiple-choice questions accessed and answered at their convenience. For MOCA Minute, diplomates may answer one or more multiple-choice questions at a time. Whether the questions are answered correctly or not, the correct answer, rationale and a link to additional learning resources will be displayed.

"Becoming board certified and maintaining certification assures the public that a physician's knowledge is current," said Dr. Rathmell. "The MOCA 2.0 program will promote lifelong learning and quality improvement among our physician community, which will advance the practice of anesthesiology."

The ABA will launch the redesigned program with a pilot of MOCA Minute in January 2016. Throughout the remainder of 2015, the ABA will continue to partner with diplomates to refine the platform, which will include several additional enhancements in 2017. 

About the American Board of Anesthesiology
The mission of the American Board of Anesthesiology® (ABA) is to advance the highest standards of the practice of anesthesiology. As the certifying body for anesthesiologists since 1938, the ABA is committed to partnering with physicians to advance lifelong learning and exceptional patient care. The Board administers primary and subspecialty certification exams as well as the Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program® (MOCA®), which is designed to promote lifelong learning, a commitment to quality clinical outcomes and patient safety. Based in Raleigh, N.C., the ABA is a nonprofit organization and a member board of the American Board of Medical Subspecialties (ABMS).

SOURCE American Board of Anesthesiology

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