11/17/2020    Jeffrey Kass, DPM

ABPM MOC is a “Crock”

The topic of board certification comes up often
in PM News. The latest scam in podiatry appears
to be “MOC” or maintenance of certification. Ten
years ago, when I was up for recertification, I
had to send in case documentation of a certain
amount and certain variety of cases. Reviewers
checked the logs and cases to ensure proper
thought process in making clinical decisions,
etc. It was a pain in the neck to do but it made
sense. That process was junked.

Now, ten years later, I am up for
recertification. This time I was told I had to
pay a fee of something like 725 dollars and take
a “self-competency exam” of 100 multiple choice
questions. It makes no difference what your score
is on this exam. You simply take it, when your
done you get a notice “congratulations, you
finished the self-competency exam”. It doesn’t
matter if you’re competent or not - you just have
to take the test. The score is irrelevant. In
fact, you aren’t told what you got right or
wrong, so even if you wanted to improve your
competency by learning what you got wrong -
that’s not part of the test.

You pay 725 dollars, take a test that doesn’t
matter the result and your good until the
following year. How exactly does that protect the
public? How exactly does that help the doctor
educate themselves? Who came up with the
ridiculous fee of 725 dollars? I’m embarrassed
this is how my board operates. For that much
money - the board should be doing more to
advocate for its members in NY to be able to
practice podiatric medicine to the same scope
that those with ABFAS can.

Jeffrey Kass, DPM, Forest Hills, NY

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