November is a great time to take stock of your recertification progress to-date and begin planning for 2018. Answer “yes” to these 5 questions to ensure that you’re on track to maintain your certification:
1.) Have you logged in to your Status Page at least once in 2017? If you haven’t made time for a quick check-in this year, we encourage you to take a look at your Status Page by logging into the ABO website with your username and password. Your Status Page will show you the activities you’ve completed so far along with the activities due in the future. If you need help navigating your Status Page or would like some reassurance about what to do next, contact moc@abop.org.
2.) Have you attested meeting the CME requirement at least once within the past two years?
In 2017, the ABO switched from a CME logging system to CME attestation. This means diplomates are no longer being asked to manually input the details of CME activities. However, we do ask that you check in every two years to confirm that you are earning the expected number of credits by checking the box on the online attestation form on your Status Page. (If your certificate expires prior to 2020, you should attest before Year 10 to a total of 250 CME credits).
3.) Do you know when you become eligible for the DOCK Examination?
Even if you know your original timeline, we encourage you to take a look at our latest announcement on the future of the DOCK Examination. After 2018, all diplomates will transition to the new Quarterly Questions program.
4.) Are you working on an improvement in medical practice activity?
You’re not? Well, good news—it’s easy to get started now that the ABO has added self-directed and AAO IRIS® Registry-based options to the Improvement in Medical Practice Menu. These options dramatically reduce data entry and allow for the creation of projects tailored to your needs or specific interests. Click here to learn more.
5.) Are your annual fee/recertification fees up to date?
Since 2012, the fee assessed to diplomates for recertification has remained a total of $2000 over 10 years. All diplomates are asked to pay this fee in $200 annual increments. On-time payments help the Board keep fees as low as possible and allow us to build in bonus CME credits for ABO activities wherever possible. To pay your annual fee or check your account status, log in to the ABO website and select the Payment History link in the upper right-hand corner. (Diplomates who previously paid a $1000 registration fee will see a pro-rated amount for the remaining $1000 balance.)