American Board of Surgery & Continuous Certification Update
Effective July 1, 2023, ABS is discontinuing self-reporting of credits by their diplomates. ABS members will continue to have access to self-report until June 30th. Beginning July 1, 2023, diplomates will only receive credit for CME activities that are set up for Continuous Certification (MOC) and reported through the ACCME’s Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).
ABS faculty members should continue to report credit through their ABS portal until the deadline of June 30th as the Office for Continuous Professional Development is unable to report these credits on behalf of any ABS diplomate.
We are pleased to share that beginning July 1st, two conferences will be set up to award ABS MOC II: Surgical Grand Rounds and Surgery MMI. We anticipate setting up additional conferences to award ABS MOC II beginning January 1, 2024. The short ramp up time for operationalizing the recent ABS announcement of retiring the self-reporting system has been challenging for all and we look forward to working with you on integrating these changes.
In order to receive ABS MOC II, each faculty member must configure their CloudCME account to award ABS MOC II credit. Until your CloudCME account is configured to award ABS credit, you will not receive ABS MOC in your CloudCME account. We are unable to retroactively award these credits, so please set up your account as soon as possible so your credits will be accurately recorded once the conferences are setup for ABS MOC II. After your account is configured to record ABS MOC, your MOC II credits will be reported to the ABS once per quarter.
You can find instructions for setting up your account for MOC II credit by accessing this link.
You can access our CloudCME website and your profile here.
PLEASE NOTE: Currently, self-reported CME accredited activity count toward the ABS Continuous Certification requirement. Beginning July 1st, only conferences that have been setup for ABS MOC II will award Continuing Certification credit. Unfortunately, the recent ABS announcement has resulted in some confusion around whether any CME activity you attend will be automatically reported toward your Continuous Certification requirements through PARS, and this is incorrect. You will only receive ABS MOC if you attend an MOC II activity that is awarding ABS Continuous Certification credit.
To learn more on why the ABS is retiring the self-reporting feature, please visit the American Board of Surgery website.
Below are the CME activities that will award ABS MOC (Continuous Certification) credit beginning with the January 2024 meetings.
- Burn Multidisciplinary Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- Colon and Rectal Surgery Case Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- EGS Morning Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- Fellows Acute Care Operative Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- Gyn Oncology Multidisciplinary Conference and Tumor Board - ABS MOC Eligible
- Lung Transplantation Selection Committee - ABIM & ABS MOC Eligible
- Managing Surgical Pediatric Patients - ABP & ABS MOC Eligible
- Multidisciplinary Trauma Resuscitation Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- Pancreas Tumor Board - ABIM & ABS MOC Eligible
- Pediatric Surgical Trauma PMI - ABP & ABS MOC Eligible
- Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Multidisciplinary Tumor Board - ABP & ABS MOC Eligible
- Quarterly Multidisciplinary Perioperative MMI Conference - ABP & ABS MOC Eligible
- Spine Surgical Indications Case Conference - ABIM & ABS MOC Eligible
- Surgical Grand Rounds - ABS MOC Eligible
- Surgery MMI - ABS MOC Eligible 2024
- Thoracic Surgery Practice Management & Quality Improvement Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- Thoracic Tumor Board - ABIM & ABS MOC Eligible
- Trauma Morning Conference - ABS MOC Eligible
- VA Thoracic Tumor Board - ABIM & ABS MOC Eligible
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Continuous Certification vs. Maintenance of Certification (MOC)?
Continuous Certification is the term used by ABS that documents a surgeon's ongoing commitment to professionalism, lifelong learning, and practice improvement following initial board certification. Maintenance of Certification is the term used by ACCME – of which ABS is a member. These terms are used interchangeably.
Is the CME office able to report ABS diplomate’s Continuous Certification credits earned prior to July 1, 2023?
No. ABS diplomates will continue to have access to the ABS self-reporting system and should continue to report their CME activities until the June 30th deadline. The CME office is not able to report these credits on behalf of any ABS diplomate.
After July 1st, what conferences will award ABS MOC credit?
Once you have properly configured your CloudCME account to award ABS MOC credit, between July 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, ABS MOC credit may be earned by attending Surgical Grand Rounds and/or Surgery MMI and texting in the CME code for your participation. We anticipate that additional conferences will be set up to award ABS MOC beginning January 1, 2024.
Do all CME activities count toward ABS MOC?
No. Only activities that have been registered for ABS MOC can count toward Continuous Certification. In order to receive Continuous Certification credit for ABS, you must attend conferences that have been set up to award ABS MOC credit.
Do all MOC activities count toward ABS MOC?
No. MOC activities are set up to award MOC for specific boards. If the MOC activity you attend does not award ABS MOC, you will still earn CME credit for your participation, but you will not receive ABS MOC credit that would count toward your Continuous Certification.
Once ABS MOC activities are set up in CloudCME, you can search for these activities through this link by selecting ABS MOC under Credit Type.
Is there anything I need to do to set up my CloudCME account to award ABS MOC credit?
Yes. In order to receive ABS MOC, each faculty member must configure their CloudCME account to award ABS MOC credit. MOC cannot be awarded retroactively so you will not earn ABS MOC until your account is set up. You can find instructions for setting up your account for MOC II credit by following this link. You can access our CloudCME website and your profile here.
After your CloudCME account is set up to award MOC credit, the credit is automatically awarded along with your CME credit when you text in the code from any ABS MOC qualifying conference. Our office recommends checking your CloudCME account several times throughout the year to ensure both your CME and MOC credits are being recorded correctly.
If I do not set up my CloudCME account to award ABS MOC, will I still receive ABS MOC credit?
No. In order for your CloudCME account to record ABS MOC to your account, you must first set up your account to award these credits. MOC credits cannot be awarded retroactively so until your account is set up, you will not receive ABS MOC credit and we are unable to adjust your account or ABS MOC credit amount by any ABS MOC conferences you may have already attended. You can find instructions on setting up your account to award ABS MOC credit through this link.
After July 1st, how do my CME credits get reported to ABS?
Once your account is configured to award ABS MOC, your credits will be reported once a quarter to ABS. Our office recommends checking your CloudCME account several times throughout the year to ensure both your CME and MOC credits are being recorded correctly. Our MOC manager will contact you if we become aware of any error messages and your credits do not transmit to ABS for any reason.
How do I access the CloudCME website and my profile?
You can access CloudCME by following this link. You can access your CloudCME profile here. Please make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Submit button once you have updated your information or your responses will not be recorded.
Who Do I Contact for Additional Information or Questions?
If your question is regarding self-reporting through ABS or questions regarding your ABS board portal, please direct any questions to the ABS Continuous Certification Exam Manager.
If your inquiry is regarding assistance setting up your CloudCME account or other ABS MOC II questions associated with VUMC, please contact mocportfolio@vumc.org.