Maintenance of licensure: Influence the process by completing spring survey

Friday, March 01, 2013 12:20 PM

JoAnne Wojak, Director, Continuing Medical Education

Maintenance of licensure, or (MOL) is a process in which licensed physicians will periodically provide evidence that they are actively participating in a program of continuous professional development that is relevant to their area of practice.

Initiated by the widespread movement toward quality improvement and increased patient safety, the process is intended to ensure continued professional development over the length of a physician’s career. With physician input, the nation’s state medical licensing boards began developing the new system as a way of strengthening patient safety and ensuring the highest standards of medical quality as the practice of medicine evolves.

The Colorado Medical Society along with the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine has partnered with the Colorado Medical Board, the Federation of State Medical Boards, the American Board of Medical Specialties and the National Board of Medical Examiners to guide the development of the Colorado Physician Maintenance of Licensure program to ensure it meets the needs of Colorado patients and physicians.

DORA will release a physician acceptability survey for maintenance of licensure this March; doctors will be notified about the survey when they receive their license renewal notices. The online survey will be made available only to physicians who hold a license to practice medicine in Colorado and will collect information anonymously about a physician’s participation in and opinion of various types of continuous professional development activities that may be approved for fulfilling future MOL requirements.

MOL components

There are three components to an MOL program: reflective self-assessment, assessment of knowledge and skills, and performance in practice. Self-assessment will require the physician to spend time reflecting on his or her practice, attending continuing medical education activities, and reading journals and medical literature. Assessment of knowledge and skills will require an objective assessment and demonstrated competency through various activities. And performance in practice will require a physician to demonstrate accountability in his or her practice by obtaining benchmarks, assessing performance and making improvements. Notably, the components will not include a “high-stakes examination.”

Board-certified physicians who participate in their maintenance of certification or Osteopathic continuous certification programs most likely will not have to take additional action to satisfy MOL requirements. Physicians working in non-clinical positions will have specific pathways that take into account their unique situations.

A review by a CMS subcommittee determined that while there were challenges, the framework represented a continuous learning and improvement cycle that is effective for life-long learning without overburdening physicians. This process also helps to sustain an individual physician’s life-long commitment to patient safety and wellbeing.

Though the three-component framework has been set and likely will not change, Colorado physicians who complete the survey will help shape the “toolbox” of continuous professional development activities for the MOL process. The survey will ask physicians about the continuous professional development activities they currently pursue, which activities are important for improving health care and health outcomes, and which activities are important to assessing physician competency.

CMS encourages all members to take time to complete this important survey. Your input is valuable and will help to inform the MOL process. Pending legislative approval, the Colorado MOL program is expected to go into effect by the 2017-2019 renewal cycle.