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Friday, April 15, 2016

OOOOOOKLAHOMA!

Good news for doctors in Oklahoma, also known as the "Sooner State", "...in reference to the non-Native settlers who staked their claims on the choicest pieces of land prior to the official opening date."

I learned from an email from the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS, See, "Another Board", and "Summing Up 2015"), that in response to pressure from physician groups like NBPAS, the Oklahoma state legislature has passed a bill stating that Maintenance of Certification (MOC) cannot be required as a condition of licensure, reimbursement, employment or admitting privileges. The bill was approved by the governor on April 11, 2016.

The link to the bill is here. You need to click on "SB1148" in the upper left-hand corner to view the actual bill. The relevant language is the following, with an otherwise identical clause included further on for osteopathic doctors:

G.  Nothing in the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Surgical Licensure and Supervision Act shall be construed as to require a physician to secure a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) as a condition of licensure, reimbursement, employment or admitting privileges at a hospital in this state.  For the purposes of this subsection, "Maintenance of Certification (MOC)" shall mean a continuing education program measuring core competencies in the practice of medicine and surgery and approved by a nationally-recognized accrediting organization.

Go, Oklahoma! And because I'm a little giddy about this small but important victory, I'm including this Sesame Street clip: