Enroll & Understand Policies for Maintenance of Certification

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Enrollment Procedure

To participate in Maintenance of Certification (MOC), you must first enroll in the program:

• Log in to your Physician Home Page.
• You will be prompted to update your contact information and complete a Practice Characteristics Profile.
• Before you electronically sign your enrollment application, you will be asked to read the following statement:

  “By this application to the American Board of Internal Medicine (“ABIM”), I agree to be bound by the terms, conditions, and rules set forth in ABIM's Policies and Procedures for Certification and in this website, as they may be amended from time to time.

  I understand that by applying, I am entering into a contract with ABIM to provide certain health care operations services, including practice assessment and evaluations. The ABIM HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is a part of this contract.

  I agree to indemnify, release, and hold harmless ABIM, its employees, officers, directors, members, agents, and those furnishing information about me to ABIM from any claims, liability, or damage by reason of any of their acts or omissions, done in good faith, in connection with: this application; information furnished to or by ABIM; the evaluation of my qualifications; ABIM examinations; the enforcement of ABIM's Policies and Procedures for Certification, and the policies for recertification outlined on ABIM's website, as well as all terms, conditions, and rules set forth in this website, as they may be amended from time to time; and any other action taken with respect to any certification or recertification granted by ABIM.

  I understand that all ABIM materials are protected by the federal Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101, et seq. I further understand that ABIM examinations are trade secrets and are the property of ABIM. Access to all such materials, as further detailed below, is strictly conditioned upon agreement to abide by ABIM's rights under the Copyright Act and to maintain examination confidentiality.

  I understand that ABIM examinations are confidential, in addition to being protected by federal copyright and trade secret laws. I agree that I will not copy, reproduce, adapt, disclose, solicit, use, review, consult or transmit ABIM examinations, in whole or in part, before or after taking my examination, by any means now known or hereafter invented. I further agree that I will not reconstruct examination content from memory, by dictation, or by any other means or otherwise discuss examination content with others. I further acknowledge that disclosure or any other use of ABIM examination content constitutes professional misconduct and may expose me to criminal as well as civil liability, and may also result in ABIM's imposition of penalties against me, including but not limited to, invalidation of examination results, exclusion from future examinations, suspension, revocation of certification, and other sanctions.

  With respect to ABIM's Medical Knowledge Modules and ABIM PIMs Practice Improvement Modules^®, I agree that I will not copy, reproduce or make any adaptations of such materials in any manner; and will not assist someone else in the infringement or misuse of these ABIM-copyrighted works.

  I understand that ABIM utilizes data forensic techniques that use statistical analyses of test-response data to identify patterns of test fraud, including cheating and piracy.

  I also understand that ABIM may use my examination performance, training program evaluations, self evaluations of knowledge and practice performance, and other information for research purposes, including collaboration with other research investigators and scientific publications. In such research, ABIM will not identify specific individuals, hospitals, or practice associations. Any practice performance data that includes Protected Health Information is maintained in a HIPAA-compliant manner.

  I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the information given in my application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and beliefs.

  I agree to be legally bound by the foregoing.”

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Cost to Enroll

Your Maintenance of Certification (MOC) enrollment fee is valid for 10 years and includes one secure examination and access to an unlimited number of ABIM self-evaluation products. There is a separate fee for each additional exam taken, in the event that you are maintaining multiple certifications or if you are re-attempting to pass an exam.

All Specialties (except Hospital Medicine)

• Enrollment fees:
• $1,675 for physicians who only hold certification in Internal Medicine
• $1,840 for physicians who have held or currently hold a subspecialty certification

• Other:
• $775 for each additional exam
• $500 for international test center fee

Diplomates currently certified by another member Board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) are eligible for a 30% discount of the MOC enrollment fee.

Payment

Credit card – Payment can be made online by American Express, VISA, MasterCard or Discover immediately upon enrollment. To make a payment by credit card at any other time, please call our secure, 24-hour automated payment system at (888) 423-2007. You will need your six-digit ABIM ID or invoice number.

Refund Policies

• If your application for enrollment in the MOC program is not approved, you will receive a refund less a $240 processing fee for internal medicine or $400 for a subspecialty.
• If you withdraw from the MOC program before completing any self-evaluation modules, you will receive a partial refund. A processing fee of $240 for internal medicine or $400 for a subspecialty will be retained.
• Once you have completed a self evaluation module or an exam, refunds are no longer available.
• Your MOC exam credit will be reinstated in cases where you cancel your MOC exam in accordance with the MOC Exam cancellation policy.

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Participation in Maintenance of Certification

Internists and subspecialists certified in 1990 or later (1987 for Critical Care Medicine and 1988 for Geriatric Medicine) must complete the program to maintain certification. Everyone else is strongly urged to participate.

It is easy to participate if you are renewing more than one certificate, e.g., internal medicine and a subspecialty. You earn your 100 points of self-evaluation only once and apply the points to each certificate you renew. Discounted fees are offered for renewing a certificate issued by ABIM and another ABMS member Board.

In general, you do not need to maintain ABIM certification in Internal Medicine to recertify in a subspecialty; however, a few exceptions apply:

Read what other physicians have to say the Maintenance of Certification program.

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Timing for Completing the Requirements

• ABIM strongly recommends spreading the self-evaluation and exam components over the duration of your certification.
  Read advice from one physician.
• Give yourself ample time to complete the program by enrolling no later than the fourth year after certification. You must be enrolled in the program to schedule an exam.
• You may schedule your exam appointment and take the exam any time beginning in years six of your certification.
• Important: Completion of the PIM will take two to six months.
• When you complete the program, you will be eligible to receive a new certificate.
  • ABIM will issue your new certificate when your old one expires
  • If you have a time-limited certificate that has expired or if you hold a time-unlimited certificate, your new certificate will become effective in the year you complete the program.
  • Your name and Certification dates will be listed on the "Check for Certification" page of www.abim.org and in the Directory of Board-Certified Internists, published by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

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Cancellation and Refund Policy

If you withdraw before completing any self-evaluation modules or taking an exam you will receive a partial refund; ABIM retains a $240 processing fee for internal medicine and a $400 processing fee for subspecialties. No refunds are processed after you complete a module or take an exam.

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Update Contact Information

ABIM requires your current contact information, including your mailing address, e-mail address and telephone number.

Please contact ABIM as soon as possible if your e-mail address changes as it is our primary means of communicating important information to you.

Change Address, Phone Number or E-mail

You may update your address, phone number and e-mail online.

Change Your Name

ABIM uses your full, official name in its records. To change your name, or to correct the spelling of your name, you must notify ABIM in writing.

Send the change and documentation of the change (i.e., copy of marriage certificate, naturalization papers, court order of name change, etc.) to:

American Board of Internal Medicine
510 Walnut Street
Suite 1700
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3699
fax 215-446-3590 (use this fax number for name changes only)
e-mail request@abim.org (if you can provide documentation in digital form; e.g., pdf)

Any future mailings you receive from ABIM will be mailed under your new name. Your former name will be listed as an "alternate" name in our system. Both forms of your official name will be listed in the database and will appear upon a search of your Certification status in the "Verify a Physician Certification" section of the site.

Correct the Spelling of Your Name

Provide both the correct and incorrect spelling of your name and your ABIM ID and/or social security number. In addition, please indicate how your name should be listed in our records, by providing your full first, middle and last names.

Request a Preferred Name

When you become certified, you may request to have a "preferred" name printed on your ABIM certificate (i.e., nickname, hyphenated last name, middle initial only, maiden name, etc.). However, ABIM maintains your full, official name in its records and will change it only if you inform ABIM of an official name change and provide documentation of the name change.

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Other Important Policies

Note: ABIM refers to the American Board of Internal Medicine in the following policy statements.

ABIM's Evaluations and Judgments

Candidates for certification and Maintenance of Certification agree that their professional qualifications, including their moral and ethical standing in the medical profession and their competence in clinical skills, will be evaluated by ABIM, and ABIM's good faith judgment concerning such matters will be final.

ABIM may make inquiry of persons named in candidates' applications and of other persons, such as authorities of licensing bodies, hospitals or other institutions as ABIM may deem appropriate with respect to such matters. Candidates agree that ABIM may provide information it has concerning them to others whom ABIM judges to have a legitimate need for it.

ABIM makes academic and scientific judgments in its evaluations of the results of its examinations. Situations may occur, even through no fault of the candidates, that render examination results unreliable in the judgment of ABIM. Candidates agree that if ABIM determines, in its judgment, that the results of their examination are unreliable, ABIM may require the candidates to retake an examination at its next administration or other time designated by ABIM.

ABIM/ABMS Reciprocal Credit for Dual-Boarded Diplomates

ABIM-certified physicians who are dual-boarded by one or more of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) 24 member boards are eligible to receive self-evaluation credit in ABIM's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program (i.e., ABIM will waive their Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge and Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance requirements).

To receive credit, ABIM diplomates will need to attest that they are current and participating in the other board's MOC program. Diplomates will still need to meet the other ABIM MOC requirements:

• maintain a valid, unrestricted and unchallenged medical license
• pass a secure ABIM MOC examination
• meet any ABIM-specific subspecialty-specific procedural requirements

About attesting:

• Upon attesting, credit is applied to the physician's ABIM MOC Status Report.
• ABIM will randomly audit attestations. Providing false or misleading information could result in disciplinary action by ABIM, including certificate revocation and reporting of misrepresentation to state medical licensing boards.
• Physicians will be required to complete a new attestation form every two years in order to continue to receive ABIM MOC credit. When due, a link will appear on their personal ABIM home page and a reminder e-mail will be sent to their e-mail address on file with ABIM.

Exceptions:

ABIM diplomates participating in the Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) program will not be eligible to participate in this program due to FPHM program requirements.

Reporting Certification Status

ABIM will routinely report through its website, or by mail, whether physicians are certified (including dates) or not certified. If a physician was previously certified, the dates of former certification will be reported. If certification has been revoked or suspended, ABIM will report that fact, including the date of revocation or suspension.

On a candidate's written request to ABIM, the following information should also be provided in writing: (1) that an application for certification or Maintenance of Certification is currently in process and/or (2) the year the candidate was last admitted to examination.

Representation of Certification Status

Diplomates of ABIM must accurately state their ABIM Board Certification status at all times. This includes descriptions in curriculum vitae, advertisements, publications, directories and letterheads.

Please note: ABIM does not authorize the use of its logo by others.

Diplomates with expired time-limited certification or those whose certification is suspended or revoked may not claim ABIM Board Certification and must revise all descriptions of their qualifications accordingly. If you have multiple certifications and allow one of them to lapse, you should revise your public materials (letterhead, business cards, advertisements, etc.) to reflect those certifications that are currently valid. When a physician misrepresents Board Certification status, ABIM may notify local credentialing bodies, licensing bodies, law enforcement agencies and others.

See Guidelines and Examples of Accurate Statements of Certification (pdf).

Errors and Disruptions in Examination Administration

Occasionally problems occur in the creation, administration and scoring of examinations. For example, power failures, hardware and software problems, human errors or weather problems may interfere with some part of the examination process. When such problems occur and ABIM determines that they have compromised the integrity of the examination results, ABIM will provide affected candidates with an opportunity for re-examination. Re-examination shall be the candidate's sole remedy. ABIM shall not be liable for inconvenience, expense or other damage caused by any problems in the creation, administration or scoring of an examination, including the need for retesting or delays in score reporting. In no circumstance will ABIM reduce its standards as a means of correcting a problem in examination administration.

Confidentiality Policy

ABIM considers the Certification or recertification status of its candidates and board-certified physicians to be public information.

ABIM provides an internist's or subspecialist's Certification status and personal identifying information, including address and social security number, to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which publishes The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists. FSMB and ABMS use personal identifying information, including social security numbers, as a unique internal identifier and maintain the confidentiality of this information. On request, ABIM provides a diplomate's Certification status and address to professional medical societies and other organizations that provide ABIM-sanctioned educational resources and products used for self-assessment of medical knowledge or practice performance in the Maintenance of Certification program.

ABIM provides residency and fellowship training directors with information about a trainee's prior training and pass/fail status on certifying examinations. If a trainee has given permission, ABIM will provide the program director with the trainee's score on his/her first attempt at the Certification examination for that area of training. ABIM uses examination performance, training program evaluations, self evaluations of knowledge and practice performance, and other information for research purposes, including collaboration with other research investigators and scientific publications. In such research, ABIM will not identify specific individuals, hospitals or practice associations. Any practice performance data that includes Protected Health Information is maintained in a HIPAA-compliant manner.

ABIM reserves the right to disclose information it possesses about any individual whom it judges has violated ABIM rules, engaged in misrepresentation or unprofessional behavior, or shows signs of impairment.

Licensure

ABIM diplomates and candidates for certification and Maintenance of Certification must possess a valid, unrestricted, and unchallenged medical license in the United States, its territories or Canada. Physicians practicing exclusively abroad and who do not hold a U.S. or Canadian license, must hold a license where they practice and provide documentation from the relevant licensing authority that their license is in good standing and without conditions or restrictions. A physician whose license has been restricted, suspended, revoked, or surrendered in any jurisdiction, cannot be certified, recertified or admitted to a certification examination and may be subject to suspension or revocation of certification or eligibility to participate in the certification process. Restrictions include but are not limited to conditions, contingencies, probation, and stipulated agreements.

Disabled Candidates

ABIM (ABIM) recognizes that some candidates have physical limitations that make it impossible for them to fulfill the requirement for proficiency in performing procedures. For such individuals, the procedural skills requirement may be waived. Program directors should write to ABIM for an exception before the individual enters training or when the disability becomes established.

For additional information about the process and documentation requirements, please refer to: Take the Exam: Testing Accommodations for Exam Takers with Disabilities.

Substance Abuse

If a candidate or an ABIM-certified physician has a history of substance abuse, documentation of at least one year of continuous sobriety from a reliable monitoring source must be submitted to ABIM for admission to an examination or to receive a certificate. ABIM treats such information as confidential.

Suspension and Revocation of Certification

ABIM may, at its discretion, revoke or rescind certification if the diplomate was not qualified to receive the certificate at the time it was issued, even if the certificate was issued as a result of a mistake on the part of ABIM. It may also revoke or suspend certification or participation in the certification process if (1) the physician fails to maintain moral, ethical or professional behavior satisfactory to ABIM, or engages in misconduct that adversely affects professional competence or integrity; (2) the physician made any material misstatement of fact or omission of fact to ABIM in connection with application or to any third party concerning the physician's certification status; or (3) the physician's license to practice medicine has been revoked, suspended, restricted or surrendered in any jurisdiction. Restrictions include but are not limited to conditions, contingencies, probation, and stipulated agreements. A physician may petition ABIM for admission to the certification process upon restoration of unrestricted licensure. If ABIM grants the petition, and upon such conditions as ABIM may require, the physician must complete ABIM's Maintenance of Certification program. Upon successful completion of the Maintenance of Certification program, the physician will be granted a new time-limited certificate consistent with the then current policies of ABIM.

Irregular Behavior

All ABIM Examinations are administered in secure testing centers by test administrators who are responsible for maintaining the integrity and security of the certification process. Test administrators are required to report to ABIM any irregular or improper behavior by a candidate. Examples of irregular or improper behavior include giving or obtaining information or aid, looking at the test material of others, removing examination materials from the test center, taking notes, bringing unauthorized items, including watches or electronic devices (e.g., beepers, pagers, cell phones, etc.), into the examination, failing to comply with time limits or instructions, talking, or other disruptive behavior. Test administrators may intervene to stop any of the foregoing. In addition, as part of its effort to assure exam integrity, ABIM utilizes data forensic techniques that use statistical analyses of test-response data to identify patterns of test fraud, including cheating and copyright infringement. ABIM investigates all irregularity reports.

Irregular or improper behavior in examinations that is observed, made apparent by data forensics, statistical analysis, or uncovered by other means will be considered a subversion of the certification process and will constitute grounds for invalidation of a candidate’s examination. In addition, ABIM may at its discretion suspend or revoke certification, exclude candidates from future examinations and inform program director(s), licensing bodies, impaired physicians advocacy groups, or law enforcement agencies of ABIM’s actions.

If you see cheating or other inappropriate behavior before, during and after an examination, please contact ABIM’s Exam Integrity Hotline at 1-800-884-2246 or send an e-mail to security@abim.org. Note: the Exam Integrity Hotline should be used ONLY to report irregular behavior.

Copyright and Examination Non-Disclosure Policy

All ABIM materials are protected by the federal Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101, et seq. Access to all such materials, as further detailed below, is strictly conditioned upon agreement to abide by ABIM's rights under the Copyright Act and to maintain examination confidentiality.

ABIM examinations are confidential, in addition to being protected by federal copyright and trade secret laws. Candidates and diplomates who undertake examinations agree that they will not copy, reproduce, adapt, disclose, or transmit examinations, in whole or in part, before or after taking an examination, by any means now known or hereafter invented. They further agree that they will not reconstruct examination content from memory, by dictation, or by any other means or otherwise discuss examination content with others. Candidates and Diplomates further acknowledge that disclosure or any other use of ABIM examination content constitutes professional misconduct and may expose them to criminal as well as civil liability, and may also result in ABIM's imposition of penalties against them, including but not limited to, invalidation of examination results, exclusion from future examinations, suspension, revocation of certification and other sanctions.

With respect to ABIM's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) products, including its Medical Knowledge Modules and ABIM PIMs Practice Improvement Modules^®, candidates agree that they will not copy, reproduce or make any adaptations of such materials in any manner; and will not assist someone else in the infringement or misuse of these or any other ABIM-copyrighted works.

Competency in Technology

Consistent with the ABMS/ACGME General Competencies in Systems-Based Practice, ABIM requires its candidates and diplomates to possess sufficient competencies in information technology, including the use of personal computers, the Internet, and e-mail, for correspondence and completion of examinations and modules throughout their participation in ABIM Certification and Maintenance of Certification programs.

Re-examination

Candidates who are unsuccessful on a Maintenance of Certification exam can re-take the exam during any future exam administration. There is no restriction on the total number of opportunities for re-examination.

There is a separate re-examination policy for initial certification exams. Please read this policy if you are planning to take an initial certification exam.

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