The American Board of Internal Medicine's maintenance-of-certification program will generate considerable costs, primarily due to the demands on physician time, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Here are six insights:
1. The study's objective was to estimate the total cost of the 2015 version of the MOC program and the incremental cost relative to the 2013 version, before requirements and fees were increased.
2. Researchers examined published literature and used a decision analytic model.
3. The study found that cumulatively, the 2015 version of MOC will cost $5.7 billion over 10 years, which is $1.2 billion more than 2013 MOC.
4. This includes $5.1 billion in costs that resulted from 32.7 million physician-hours spent on MOC.
5. Additionally, internists will incur an average of $23.607 in MOC costs over 10 years, ranging from $16,725 for general internists to $40,495 for hematologists-oncologists.
6. Study authors concluded that "a rigorous evaluation of [the MOC program's] effect on clinical and economic outcomes is warranted to balance potential gains in healthcare quality and efficiency against the high costs identified in this study."
