ABA The American Board of Anesthesiology Media Kit
ABOUT THE ABA The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the highest standards of the practice of anesthesiology. Established in 1938 as the certifying body for anesthesiologists, the ABA is committed to partnering with physicians to advance lifelong learning and exceptional patient care. The Board administers primary and subspecialty certification exams as well as the Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program (MOCA ), which encourages diplomates to keep their medical knowledge current to enhance patient care. The ABA has a 13-member board of directors, 12 practicing anesthesiologists and one public member, who create policy and provide oversight for the organization s initiatives. The Board currently serves more than 50,000 certified anesthesiologists across the United States. Based in Raleigh, N.C., the ABA is one of 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). KEY FACTS ESTABLISHED 1938 DIPLOMATES (CERTIFIED ANESTHESIOLOGISTS): 50,000+ EXAMS ADMINISTERED: 13 PHYSICIANS ABA CERTIFIES ANNUALLY: 2,500+ SUBSPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS OFFERED BY THE ABA: Critical Care Medicine Hospice and Palliative Medicine Pain Medicine Pediatric Anesthesiology Sleep Medicine MOCA PARTICIPANTS: 20,000+
ABA LEADERSHIP James P. Rathmell, M.D. ABA President James P. Rathmell, M.D., is the president of the ABA Board of Directors and serves as the Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Brigham and Women s Healthcare in Boston, Mass. His research focuses on emerging treatments for pain and the evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of specific interventions to improve the care of patients with painful disorders. Dr. Rathmell earned his master s in biochemistry and medical degree from Wake Forest University, School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. He completed his internship, residency and research fellowship at Wake University Baptist Medical Center. In addition to his research, he has dedicated his professional career to improving training for physicians specializing in pain medicine. For three consecutive years, he received the Resident/Fellow Teaching Award from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine; the John J. Bonica Award for clinical excellence and education from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine; and the Phillipe M. Lippe Award from the American Academy of Pain Medicine for outstanding contributions to the social and political aspects of Pain Medicine.
KEY DATES 1937 The American Society of Anesthetists, Inc., the American Society of Regional Anesthesia, Inc., and the Section on Surgery of the American Medical Association (AMA) establish a committee to design a plan for an organization to certify physicians practicing in the field of anesthesiology. The American Board of Anesthesiology, Inc. (ABA), is formed as an affiliate of The American Board of Surgery, Inc. 1938 The ABA is approved as an affiliate of the ABS and the AMA. 1941 The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) approves the establishment of the ABA as a separate primary board. 1977 The ABA and three other member boards begin exploring mechanisms for awarding physicians with expertise in critical care medicine, the first of its subspecialty programs. 1985 The ABMS permits the ABA and several other member boards to issue certificates in critical care medicine. 1991 ABMS approves an ABA application to certify in pain management, limiting the subspecialty certificate to 10 years. 1995 The ABA establishes a policy for time limitations on certificates. All certificates issued on or after Jan. 1, 2000, will be valid for 10 years after the candidate passes the certifying exam. 2002 The ABA presents its proposal to ABMS to transition from recertification to a Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program (MOCA ). 2005 The ABA administers its first annual MOCA Examination in July. 2007 The ABA begins offering the MOCA exam twice a year. 2010 The ABA begins transitioning from recertification to a maintenance of certification process for its subspecialties. 2011 The American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABA announce a combined, integrated training program in internal medicine and anesthesiology. 2012 ABMS approves the ABA s time-limited pediatric anesthesiology subspecialty certificate. 2015 The ABA announces the launch of MOCA 2.0, a redesigned MOCA program created in collaboration with diplomates.
MAINTENANCE OF CERTIFICATION FACT SHEET The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) administers board certification and maintenance of certification programs in accordance with standards set by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). ABMS launched the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program in 1999 to promote ongoing professional development, assessment and practice improvement among physicians. It challenges physicians to focus on continuous learning and skill development to maintain and improve the quality of patient care and clinical outcomes. All 24 ABMS Member Boards, which represent a variety of medical specialties, offer MOC programs. Board certification and MOC are voluntary programs that set a high-quality standard physicians choose to pursue to demonstrate the proficiency of their medical knowledge and skills. Patients, physicians, health care providers, insurers and quality organizations look for these designations as the best measure of a physician s ability to provide quality care within a given specialty. The ABA administers its Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program (MOCA ) to assure the public that its diplomates have the knowledge and skills that demonstrate a commitment to quality clinical outcomes and patient safety. MOC CONSISTS OF FOUR PARTS Part 1: Professionalism and Professional Standing (PPS) Part 2: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment (LLS) Part 3: Assessment of Knowledge, Judgment, and Skills (KJS) Part 4: Improvement in Medical Practice (IMP) THE ABA AND MOCA 2.0 The ABA embarked on a MOCA redesign in 2012 to ensure that the program remained relevant to diplomates and continued to help them demonstrate their medical proficiency. The redesign, known as MOCA 2.0, leverages leading research in adult learning to provide a personalized approach to helping anesthesiologists maintain up-to-date medical knowledge. The core of the MOCA 2.0 platform, MOCA Minute, will allow diplomates to participate in continuous assessment to identify knowledge gaps and provide educational references to fill these gaps. This tool is set to launch in 2016. A full suite of customizable features that will guide and track physician learning through the MOCA 2.0 platform will roll out in 2017.