2021 MOC Fees

Supporting 200,000 doctors through their careers

ABIM fees serve physicians directly, contributing to enhancement and innovation in assessment options, MOC activities and CME credit, and a personalized online experience.

ABIM's fee schedule for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program includes two components: an annual MOC program fee due within each calendar year, and an assessment fee, which is paid when you register for a traditional MOC exam or the new Knowledge Check-In (KCI).

2021 Annual MOC Program Fee ^{More Information}

Important Note about Prepayment

The last day to prepay the 2021 MOC program fee was 12/31/20. Prepayment is not currently available as ABIM transitions to a new fee structure that aligns with the forthcoming longitudinal pathway for MOC. More information on the new structure, including a pre-payment option, will be shared in 2021.

Assessment Fee ^{More Information}

Please note:

• The Knowledge Check-In will no longer be offered after 2021 as we transition to the longitudinal assessment. The traditional, 10-year MOC exam will continue as an option beyond 2021.
• If you pre-paid an MOC program fee, it will remain on your account.
• An additional $20 will be added to the program fee if it is paid after the year in which it was due.
• Your annual program fee is due each year on January 1.
• If you are retaking a traditional 10-year MOC exam for the first time after failing the same exam, you receive 50% off the assessment fee. Subsequent retakes of the exam will be full price.
• For international test takers: There is an International Test Center Fee of $500 for the traditional 10-year MOC exam and an International Test Center fee of $100 for the two-year Knowledge Check-In. This fee is waived for active members of the military.
• The cost for taking one traditional MOC exam and five Knowledge Check-Ins is the same over 10 years.

Fee Policies

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Refunds

• There are no refunds for the MOC annual program fee.
• If you cancel a traditional 10-year MOC exam: Your MOC assessment fee will be credited to your account if you cancel your MOC exam in accordance with the MOC Exam Cancellation Policy.

Credits and Waivers

• If you are enrolled in an eligible fellowship, you will receive an MOC program fee credit for every eligible fellowship year you have completed. Fellowship years are eligible for credit if they are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the Professional Corporation of Physicians of Quebec, received a rating of at least Satisfactory, and completed in an ABIM subspecialty.
• Fee credits will be granted upon receipt of an eligible training evaluation and will be applied to your annual MOC program fee. Unaccredited training years either before or during fellowship or fellowship years completed before 2014 do not qualify for the MOC credit.
• Upon successful completion of an eligible fellowship year and ABIM's receipt of your evaluation from your program director via FasTrack, you will also receive 20 MOC points.
• Upon becoming newly certified in Internal Medicine, you will receive an MOC program fee waiver, which will be automatically applied to your annual MOC program fee.

FAQs

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What is the program fee and how much does it cost?

• You pay one program fee a year, regardless of how many certifications you maintain.
• If you pay early (before the year a program fee is due), you'll get a 20% discount on that year as well as the current year's program fee. You can pre-pay up to 10 years.
• An additional $20 will be added to the program fee if it is paid after the year in which it was due.
• This fee supports a number of essential ABIM services, including:
• Access to all of ABIM MOC activities
• Partnerships with societies in qualifying and expanding appropriate activities for MOC
• Processing MOC points for eligible CME activities
• Attestation processing
• Licensure verification
• Physician portal with access to personalized ABIM status report
• Publicly reporting certification status of more than 200,000 physicians
• Exploring new alternative assessment pathways with specialty societies such as ACP, ACC and ASCO
• Development and implementation of the new Knowledge Check-In assessment option across 19 internal medicine disciplines
• Developing and distributing reminders from ABIM about your MOC program requirements
• Helping provide fee waivers to physicians in fellowship.
• Providing all newly certified Internists with a one-year MOC program fee waiver

What is the assessment fee and how much does it cost?

• You pay your assessment fee at the time you register for an assessment – either a traditional MOC exam or two-year Knowledge Check-In as it becomes available in your specialty.
• Over a 10-year period, the cost of the MOC exam and Knowledge Check-In are the same.
• One difference between the traditional MOC exam and the Knowledge Check-In is that, for those who failed once before, there is a 50% reduction in cost in retaking the traditional MOC exam, while Knowledge Check-Ins can't be retaken.
• The assessment fee goes toward creating assessments and enhancing your assessment experience with more flexibility in how you take an assessment and incorporating input from physicians on what topics are the most relevant to practice.

Why is there a program fee and an assessment fee?

• Physicians have asked ABIM for more information about how their fees are used.
• The program fee supports a number of essential ABIM services, including:
• Access to all of ABIM MOC activities
• Partnerships with societies and ACCME in qualifying and expanding appropriate activities for MOC
• Recognizing and acknowledging CME points eligible for MOC
• Attestation processing
• Licensure verification
• Physician portal with access to personalized ABIM status report and CME reporting for ABIM activities
• Developing and distributing reminders from ABIM about your MOC program requirements
• The program fee covers all certifications held and is flexible – you pay when you choose.
• The assessment fee goes toward creating assessments and enhancing your assessment experience with more flexibility in how you take an assessment and incorporating input from physicians on what topics are the most relevant to practice.
• You pay for your assessment when you register for it.

I am maintaining multiple certifications. Do I have to pay the program fee for each certification?

• No. All physicians pay one program fee regardless of how many certifications they maintain.
• If you pay early (before the year a program fee is due), you'll get a 20% discount on that year as well as the current year’s program fee. You can pre-pay up to 10 years.

When do I pay?

• The program fee can be paid beginning on January 1 each year, with the option to pre-pay as many years in advance as you'd like, up to 10 years, with a 20% discount for each year paid in advance.
• An additional $20 will be added to the program fee if it is paid after the year in which it was due.
• You pay for your assessment when you register for it.

Can I still pay for 10 years up front? Do I have to pay annually?

• The program fee can be paid beginning on January 1 each year, with the option to pre-pay as many years in advance as you'd like, up to 10 years.
• If you pay one or more years in advance, you'll get a 20% discount and pay $132 per year.
• The assessment fee can no longer be paid for in advance. The assessment fee will be paid for at the time of registration.

How will I know when the year payment is due? Will ABIM tell me?

Yes, ABIM will send you an email reminder in advance of when your program fee will be due.

What happens if I don't pay my program fee in the year it is due?

Your participation status will never change due to non-payment. However, you will not be able to access some of the services ABIM provides:

• Registering for an MOC assessment
• Processing MOC points for CME activities
• Ordering new products or working on products previously ordered
• Completing entry into ABIM's Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine program
• Enrolling in the MOC reciprocity program
• Completing re-attestation for Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine or Interventional Cardiology

Also, if you pay your 2020 or 2021 program fee after the year it’s due the cost will increase to $185.

Will those newly certified and eligible fellows still receive an MOC fee waiver?

Yes, those who are newly certified in Internal Medicine and those enrolled in an eligible fellowship program will receive an MOC program fee waiver that is automatically applied to cover your MOC program fee.

What about discounts for physicians who are also certified by another ABMS Board?

The MOC fee discount for physicians certified by another ABMS Board was discontinued on 11/1/17.

What happens if I've already pre-paid for 10 years?

If you've already pre-paid for 10 years, you will not need to pay a program fee during this time. For example, if you pre-paid for 10 years in 2015, you will not have to pay a program fee before 1/1/2025. Also if you have not used your exam credit, it will remain on your account and can be used toward one traditional 10-year MOC exam or five Knowledge Check-Ins.

What value do I get out of MOC?