Newswise — Washington, DC––The Endocrine Society today commended the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) for revamping its Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program in response to widespread outcry from the physician community.

ABIM announced Tuesday that it would suspend some aspects of the MOC program and substantially change others. The Endocrine Society and other organizations representing nearly all internal medicine subspecialties had raised concerns about unintended consequences of changes made to the program in the past year.

“We are satisfied that the ABIM has heard our concerns and is responding with appropriate changes to the MOC program,” said Society President Richard J. Santen, MD. “We fully support the concepts of continuous learning, improvement and self-regulation that the ABIM espouses and recognize that the changes outlined are designed to enhance these processes.”

ABIM incorporated many of the changes the Endocrine Society called for, including adjustments to the MOC program’s fee structure, exam structure and approved activities. These changes will relieve bureaucratic burdens on physicians and allow them to devote more time to providing patient care.

“While ABIM is making key strides in improving the program, the Society continues to call for an evidence-based approach to determine how the MOC system can best support the delivery of quality patient care,” Santen said. “The Society is looking forward to continuing our collaboration with the internal medicine community and the ABIM to ensure the MOC program and the secure exam evolve in a way that is meaningful, supports physician learning and improves patient care.”

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Founded in 1916, the Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, the Endocrine Society’s membership consists of over 18,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Washington, DC. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EndoMedia.