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Welcome to my blog, a place to explore and learn about the experience of running a psychiatric practice. I post about things that I find useful to know or think about. So, enjoy, and let me know what you think.


Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Follow the Money: A One Question Survey

Check out the update on MOC, recently sent out by the ABPN. In particular:


And:


Also:



Finally:



Okay so wudda we got?

You have to attest to your CME, SA, and PIP activities, and pay a fee annually.

And you only need 1 PIP unit.

Also the PIP requirement has been modified.

Finally, the board MAY waive SA requirements.


To me, it sounds like the ABPN is getting desperate. They want you to pay the annual fee, so they make noises about modifications to requirements. But if you pay the fee anyway, why should they make any changes?

And judging by the financial state of the ABIM, I'm guessing the ABPN is not doing so great money-wise. Plus they're obviously worried about losing diplomates to the NBPAS.

I think doctors as a group are a pretty suck-it-up bunch. We're so used to hard work that if you tell us we need to do something for "patient care" or for "regulatory requirements", we just do it. (See my post, The Culture of Medicine and the Art of K'vetching).

But this seems like a good jumping off point for negotiations. They want us to invest $175/year in them, with the promise of a meaningful exam in 10 years. Okay. What are they going to do for us? How about they remove the Part IV requirements, as a sign of good faith, and while they're at it, lay out a plan for how they're going to demonstrate that taking an exam every 10 years improves patient care. And once they've done that, then, maybe, we'll start paying them.

Seriously, what if everyone who goes into the C-MOC program joins together and refuses to pay a dime until they hold up their end of the bargain. Because it is a bargain. It's just a financial deal. They shouldn't get to make money AND screw us over.

So here's my one question survey. Is anyone up for this fight? Let's follow the money and see where it leads:



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