Four medical societies are banding together to help cardiology subspecialists get through the maintenance of certification process.

The American College of Cardiology, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society, and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions are working together to develop new modules to help subspecialists meet the American Board of Internal Medicine’s current 10-year maintenance of certification examination.

“None of the cardiology subspecialty societies have created an analogous lifelong learning product that would fill this need,” William Oetgen, MD, ACC executive vice president of science, quality, and education, said.

The groups first must reach an agreement with ABIM; they can then collaborate to enhance the existing ACC self-assessment program (SAP) line with CathSAP, EPSAP, and Heart Failure SAP products to help fulfill the MOC needs of interventionalists, electrophysiologists, and heart failure specialists, respectively.

The societies hope to make the SAPs available in time for the ABIM rollout of the 2-year Knowledge Check-in assessment option. The current plan is for the rollout of a general cardiology product in 2019; electrophysiologists, heart failure, and interventionalists in 2020; and adult congenital in 2023.

“It is the shared goal of ACC, HFSA, HRS, and SCAI to help our collective members ensure their patients are receiving the highest-quality, evidence-based care,” ACC President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, said in a statement. “In offering additional pathways for cardiologists who wish to maintain their professional certification, we can more effectively and efficiently help busy clinicians keep up with current knowledge in their specific areas of practice.”

gtwachtman@frontlinemedcom.com

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