The Scholarly Upside to MOC4

Abstract

BackgroundMany medical boards require quality improvement (QI) projects for Maintenance of Certification-Part IV (MOC4) credits. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) allows healthcare organizations that can demonstrate sufficient QI standards to become Portfolio Sponsor Programs. This enables internal review and approval of QI projects, crediting all sufficiently contributing physicians. The University of Minnesota's MHealth MOC4 Review Board (MMRB) was approved as an ABMS Portfolio Sponsor Program; its impact was surveyed from inception in 2016 to 2022. Our objective was to examine the impact of a Portfolio Sponsor Program on scholarship, sustainability, and spread of QI projects. MethodsWe developed and validated an eight-question survey directed at MOC4 principal investigators (PIs) who were awarded credits through MMRB from 2016 to 2022. Participants reported on numbers of peer-reviewed publication or presentation, and their perception of increased preparedness for scholarship due to the application process. They also reported on sustainment or spread following their original QI project. ConclusionsFifty projects were reviewed over a seven-year span. Of these, 44 were approved as demonstrating sufficient QI rigor per ABMS standards. Of 41 PIs, 27 (66%) responded to the survey; 15 (56%) agreed that the MMRB process helped prepare them for scholarly dissemination, 19 (70%) delivered oral or poster presentations, and 10 (37%) submitted a total of 14 manuscripts for publication, 10 of which were accepted. A total of 23 QI projects (85%) were sustained, and 10 (37%) had spread. Besides generating essential MOC4 credits for participating physicians, an MMRB process can help PIs prepare for scholarship, project sustainment, and spread.