THE AMERICAN BOARD OF PATHOLOGY

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  • CC/MOC
  • Meeting CC Requirements Late
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Meeting CC Requirements Late

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Diplomates are expected to remain current in their participation in the CC Program by satisfactorily completing all CC requirements and meeting all CC deadlines.

  • Reporting form requirements must be reported to ABPath every two years via PATHway.
  • The CC Assessment requirement must be met no later than ten years from the issuance date for each certificate being maintained in CC.
  • The Component I Patient Safety Course (PSC) requirement must be met once every 10-year cycle.  (See Patient Safety Course page for diplomate specific requirement timeline.)

Diplomates whose CC performance does not meet ABMS competencies and ABPath expectations will be required to submit to ABPath an implementation plan to improve performance, including objective measures of improvement (i.e., examination performance, Part IV PI/QA activities) or letters of attestation of improvement in areas that do not lend themselves to objective assessment, such as interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism. Diplomates who fail to show significant improvement throughout the 10-year CC cycle could be subject to intensified practice review by ABPath. Such review might include submission of detailed information regarding the area of practice in question (i.e., additional reports, quality assessment plans).

A diplomate may appeal to ABPath according to the standard appeals procedure at any point in the CC process if he/she believes that the CC standards have been unfairly or inappropriately applied.

Late Reporting

Late Reporting

Late Reporting

Failure to meet an electronic reporting form submission deadline will result in the diplomate’s certification status being reported as “not current in CC participation”. A $100 late fee is added for every year a reporting form is past-due. ABPath reserves the right to audit any CC reporting form and the activities reported therein, even after form approval has been given.

The diplomate will have a grace period until December 31st after the reporting form submission deadline during which to submit the form and become current in CC participation. Once the grace period has ended, if the past due reporting form has not been submitted, any certificates in the CC Program will lapse. The physician will be publicly reported as “NOT CERTIFIED”. Once a certificate lapses due to non-participation in CC, the diplomate must meet all requirements for reinstatement within three years of loss of certification.

If reinstatement does not occur within three years of loss of certification, the diplomate must pass the initial board certification exam in order to become certified again. If the diplomate has remained in active practice since losing certification, the requirement for an additional year of training in an ACGME-approved pathology training program before sitting for the primary examination will be waived.

  • If the diplomate has not remained in active practice since losing certification, they will have the option to either satisfactorily complete additional ACGME accredited training or a course of remedial education approved by ABPath as a requirement for eligibility to take the initial certification examination.
Missed Assessment Requirement

Missed Assessment Requirement

Missed Assessment Requirement

If a certificate lapses because the diplomate has not met the CC Assessment requirement by the end of ten years after certification, there is a one-year grace period during which the physician can take and pass the CC Examination, bring all CC reporting requirements up to date, and regain certification. After the one-year grace period, the physician must pass the initial board certification examination to regain certification.

  • If the diplomate has remained in active practice since losing certification, the requirement for an additional year of training in an ACGME-approved pathology training program before sitting for the primary examination will be waived. If the diplomate has not remained in active practice since losing certification, they will have the option to either satisfactorily complete additional ACGME accredited training or a course of remedial education approved by ABPath as a requirement for eligibility to take the initial certification examination.

© 2015 The American Board of Pathology. All rights reserved.