April 23, 2015

ABA MOCA 2.0® Pilot to Launch Jan. 1, 2016

Please see the April 23, 2015 email announcement below from James P. Rathmell, M.D., ABA Secretary.

Dear Diplomates,

In February, I informed you about the Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program® (MOCA®) redesign, known as MOCA 2.0®. This initiative was inspired by diplomate feedback and technological advances that are allowing us to provide our diplomates with customized learning and assessment. Today, I’m writing to give you an update on our progress.

The ABA’s board of directors, which is comprised of 12 practicing anesthesiologists and one public member, has been collaborating with a group of volunteer diplomates since early 2014 to build MOCA 2.0. It is a robust platform that will allow diplomates to participate in activities most relevant to their practices. We are still developing the platform and its program requirements, but wanted to share some of the following highlights:

  • The ABA will launch MOCA 2.0 on Jan. 1, 2016.
  • All diplomates who have certificates that expire in 2016 or later and who are participating in MOCA will be enrolled in the pilot. Non-time limited certificate holders are encouraged and welcome to participate, but will not be automatically enrolled.
  • The MOCA Minute® application, an interactive learning tool that we began piloting in 2014, is being piloted to replace the MOCA Examination as the Board’s MOC Part 3: Assessment of Knowledge, Judgment, and Skills. You may learn more about the MOCA Minute application in the 2015 edition of ABA News.
  • As of Jan.1, 2016, simulation will become an optional Part 4 activity. We consider simulation a valuable education tool and will continue to strongly encourage it.
  • We are developing a variety of MOCA Part 4: Improvement in Medical Practice options that will give diplomates greater flexibility to complete activities relevant to their practice. The Board will award points to diplomates completing MOCA Part 4 activities based on the time and effort required to complete them. A minimum number of Part 4 points will be required for all diplomates participating in the MOCA 2.0 pilot.
  • We will share the details about the point system in the coming months.
  • There will be an annual $210 fee to participate in MOCA 2.0, which will replace the current $2,100 MOCA fee paid every 10 years.

MOCA 2.0 will eventually feature an online repository that will serve as a single source to store, retrieve and distribute certificates, licenses and other important documentation.

These are significant changes that will help the ABA more effectively identify diplomates’ knowledge gaps and steer them to targeted educational options that will close these gaps. We believe MOCA 2.0 will enhance patient safety and clinical outcomes.

We have been working on this effort since 2012 when we began exploring the idea of incorporating innovative technology to enhance the MOCA program. We still have some details to work through and will continue to communicate new information as decisions are made. The ABA will produce training materials in the coming months to get participating diplomates acclimated with the pilot program’s features prior to its launch.

In the meantime, you may click here for MOCA 2.0 information. If you have questions, please contact the ABA Communications Center at (866) 999-7501 or via email at coms@theABA.org for assistance Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

Sincerely,

James P. Rathmell, M.D.
Secretary