Back to All NewsPoliticizing Certification
Posted By American Med Spa Association, Thursday, October 29, 2015
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By Joel Schlessinger, MD
For the better part of 2015, the debate over Maintenance of Certification (MOC) has dominated our specialty and various others. Physicians from across the spectrum of medicine have voiced their dissatisfaction over increasingly burdensome and unreasonable certification requirements. While our voices have been heard, recent developments indicate that more work is needed. More specifically, despite recent apparent outreach efforts from the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) to dialogue with physicians on the issue of recertification, each communication we receive only seems to underscore why more action is badly needed.
Recently, the ABD released results from a survey regarding MOC and recertification. The results they presented are incredibly one-sided toward the “pro”-MOC proposals. In fact, no options were given for opposing MOC or recertification. Additionally, the comments included in the so-called “results email” were particularly slanted, as remarks (including my own decidedly negative ones and many others) were not included.
Moreover, the ABD’s stated viewpoint about surgical and cosmetic dermatologists being the only ones who are negative toward the exam/MOC is irresponsible and demeaning to respected colleagues. While I do surgical and cosmetic dermatology, 60 percent of my practice is actually medical and I absolutely am against this test. Clearly, there are other, purely medical dermatologists who have no desire to spend weeks preparing for an expensive test that has no discernable value to their level of expertise.
Read more at Practical Dermatology.
For the better part of 2015, the debate over Maintenance of Certification (MOC) has dominated our specialty and various others. Physicians from across the spectrum of medicine have voiced their dissatisfaction over increasingly burdensome and unreasonable certification requirements. While our voices have been heard, recent developments indicate that more work is needed. More specifically, despite recent apparent outreach efforts from the American Board of Dermatology (ABD) to dialogue with physicians on the issue of recertification, each communication we receive only seems to underscore why more action is badly needed.
Recently, the ABD released results from a survey regarding MOC and recertification. The results they presented are incredibly one-sided toward the “pro”-MOC proposals. In fact, no options were given for opposing MOC or recertification. Additionally, the comments included in the so-called “results email” were particularly slanted, as remarks (including my own decidedly negative ones and many others) were not included.
Moreover, the ABD’s stated viewpoint about surgical and cosmetic dermatologists being the only ones who are negative toward the exam/MOC is irresponsible and demeaning to respected colleagues. While I do surgical and cosmetic dermatology, 60 percent of my practice is actually medical and I absolutely am against this test. Clearly, there are other, purely medical dermatologists who have no desire to spend weeks preparing for an expensive test that has no discernable value to their level of expertise.
Read more at Practical Dermatology.
