| The American Board of Preventive Medicine’s Enhancing Professional Improvement and Quality (EPIQ) Program leads to renewal of certification every ten years. Many changes have taken place in the certification and maintenance of certification of physicians. The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) as a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has adapted its recertification process to keep pace with the changes in this dynamic area of specialty certification. ABPM’s maintenance of certification program is called “Enhancing Professional Improvement and Quality" (EPIQ) and is in compliance with the ABMS Maintenance of Certification requirements. Maintenance of certification (MOC) is the board certification process for assessment of continuing competencies of physicians and encompasses recertification. All Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties must provide MOC programs for their diplomates. The following four components make up the EPIQ MOC Program: |
- Evidence of professional standing
- Evidence of commitment to lifelong learning and involvement in periodic self-assessment
- Evidence of cognitive expertise
- Evidence of evaluation of performance in practice
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| Mandatory participation in the EPIQ Program began with diplomates who received time-limited certificates in 1998. All diplomates certified in 1998 or later must complete a maintenance of certification program within 10 years of their initial certification and every 10 years thereafter. The ABPM has modified the recertification program for diplomates holding time-limited certificates to keep pace with changes mandataed by ABMs and all diplomates with time limited certificates must now demonstrate accomplishment of the above four components. |
| ABPM’s EPIQ Program will continue to evolve in concert with ABMS requirements. The EPIQ Program is offered to all diplomates who have been issued ten-year, time-limited certificates and completion of the program is required to maintain a valid certificate. Voluntary participation in the EPIQ Program is also offered to diplomates who hold non-expiring certificates. Diplomates may complete the EPIQ Program in any of the specialty areas in which they hold a valid ABPM primary certificate: Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, or Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. The EPIQ Program is also available for holders of an ABPM subspecialty certificate in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. Those diplomates who hold and ABPM subspecialty certificate in Medical Toxicology should refer to the ABEM website for details on Maintenance of Certification. Upon successful completion of the EPIQ Program, when a current certificate expires a new certificate will be issued that is valid for ten years from the date of issuance. |
The ABPM EPIQ Program, in compliance with ABMS requirements as currently defined, includes the following components.
- Professional Standing - possess current, valid, unrestricted medical licenses in all States, U.S. Territories, and Provinces of Canada in which the diplomate is licensed to practice medicine.
- Lifelong Learning & Self-assessment (LLSA) – requirements vary depending on the year of certification. For certificates issued from 1998 through 2006 see requirements. For certificates issued beginning in 2007 see requirements. See the chart below for the number of CME hours required for diplomates whose certificate expires prior to 2013. For diplomates whose certificate expires in 2013 through 2016 there is a requirement for completion of 100 hours over 10 years of ABPM-approved CME or educational modules that include 300 items of self-assessment. For diplomates whose certificate expires in 2017 or later there are additional CME requirements.
NOTE: A diplomate whose certificate expires prior to 2013 and who does not complete the EPIQ program prior to the expiration of that certificate will be required to meet all requirements in place for the year in which they do complete the EPIQ program. For example, a diplomate whose certificate expired in 2008 but didn't renew until 2010 would need 70 hours of CME over the previous 10 years because that is the MOC CME requirement for those expiring in 2010. Similarly, a diplomate whose certificate expired in 2015 but did not renew until 2017 will need to meet the additional CME requirements in addition to the completion of 100 hours of ABPM-approved CME during the previous 10 years.
- Cognitive exam – all diplomates holding time-limited certificates will be required to take and pass a cognitive exam. Diplomates may begin taking the examination seven (7) years after receiving their initial certification, and may repeat the examination annually if necessary to pass it prior to the expiration of their certificate. This exam is 100 question multiple-choice exam and proctored. It is offered several times per year in conjunction with meetings of Preventive Medicine related specialty societies.
- Practice Performance Assessment – this component of the EPIQ Program applies to those diplomates whose certificate expires in 2011 or later. This component utilizes a quality improvement model with opportunities for assessment of practice performance and improvement activities available in clinical practice, teaching, research, and administration. Specific programs are provided by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the American College of Preventive Medicine and are currently under development by the Aerospace Medical Association.
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| Schedule of required CME hours for diplomates with multiple ABPM certificates |
| First ABPM certificate | 100 hours |
| Second ABPM certificate | 40 additional hours (total of 140) |
| Third ABPM certificate | 20 additional hours (total of 160) |
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| Phase-in of required CME hours for diplomates certified between 1998 and 2003 |
| Certification Year | Expiration Year | Hours of CME | * Self-assessment Items |
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| 1998 | 2008 | 50 | 150 |
| 1999 | 2009 | 60 | 180 |
| 2000 | 2010 | 70 | 210 |
| 2001 | 2011 | 80 | 240 |
| 2002 | 2012 | 90 | 270 |
| 2003 - 2006 |
2013 - 2016 | 100 | 300 |
| * Each hour of approved CME includes 3 self-assessment questions/items. |
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| Fees* |
Initial registration fee of $200. This fee covers the creation of your EPIQ program file and the tracking of your progress throughout the 10-year period.
EPIQ exam fee = current year's exam fee minus the $200 registration fee. There is an examination fee at the time of the EPIQ examination to cover the Board’s review and action on your EPIQ package and the examination itself. This fee will include the verification of your medical license and currency of practice, the administration and scoring of the examination, and other features of the EPIQ Program required by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
* All fees are reviewed annually and are subject to change at the direction of the Board.
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