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American College of Cardiology

ACC and ABIM are providing a new option to offer cardiologists more choice, relevance and convenience in meeting the assessment requirement of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. The shared goal is to continually improve all educational and assessment processes for physicians to stay current in knowledge and practice—ultimately in the service of better patient care. This assessment option, called the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP), was introduced in cardiovascular disease in 2019, and it integrates lifelong learning with assessment.

You can participate in the ACC CMP if:

  • You are currently certified by ABIM and not in an ABIM exam grace period
  • It is offered in your specialty:
    • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
    • Interventional Cardiology
    • Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
  • You are not currently registered for an ABIM assessment

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What About the CMP for Other Cardiovascular Sub-Specialties?

In addition to Cardiovascular Disease, the CMP is available in three additional sub-specialties:

  • Interventional Cardiology will offer a CMP through CathSAP, developed in collaboration with the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI).
  • Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology will offer a CMP through EP SAP.
  • Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology will offer a CMP through Heart Failure SAP, developed in collaboration with the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA).

How Exactly Will the CMP Work?

To participate in the CMP, you must:

  1. Be currently certified by ABIM and not in an MOC exam grace period. (You can check your certification status by signing in to your ABIM Physician Portal.)
  2. Purchase the relevant SAP. Your purchase provides you with five years of access.
  3. Enroll in the CMP. To enroll, visit www.ACC.org/CMPEnroll.
  4. Refresh your knowledge by engaging in the CMP topic(s) for the year. You may choose how much time to spend learning about the year's CMP topic(s); the seven-hour learning engagement requirement has been removed.
  5. Hone your clinical judgement skills by scoring 70% or better on the practice questions for the year's CMP topic(s).
  6. Take and pass a Performance Assessment (a 60-question online test) for that year's topic(s). Your performance will be sent to ABIM in order to accurately report whether or not you continue to meet your ABIM assessment requirement.
  7. Repeat steps 4–6 each year.

What Are My MOC Assessment Options?

How do I Participate in the Cardiovascular Disease CMP?

To participate in the CMP, you must:

  1. Be currently certified by the ABIM and not in an MOC exam grace period. You can check your certification status by signing in to your ABIM Physician Portal.
  2. Purchase the relevant SAP. Your purchase provides you with five years of access.
  3. Enroll in the CMP. To enroll, visit www.ACC.org/CMPEnroll.
  4. Refresh your knowledge by engaging in the CMP topic(s) for the year. You may choose how much time to spend learning about the year's CMP topic(s); the seven-hour learning engagement requirement has been removed.
  5. Hone your clinical judgement skills by scoring 70% or better on the practice questions for the year's CMP topic(s).
  6. Take and pass a Performance Assessment (a 60-question online test) for that year's topic(s).
  7. Repeat steps 4–6 each year.

Do I still need to complete procedural requirements in Interventional Cardiology?

Yes, you still need to attest to completing procedural requirements while participating in the ABIM/ACC CMP. Learn more. 

Will the CMP Cover the Breadth of My Discipline or Be More Targeted?

Each year’s CMP Performance Assessment (PA) will cover approximately 20% of the field. The table below outlines the topics to be tested over the next five years within each SAP. Each topic’s corresponding text and practice questions will be thoroughly updated in the year of its PA. However, you will always have access to all learning materials and practice questions in the entire SAP product so you can use the SAP as a reference tool. Only the PA will be available in increments by topic or topic grouping.

If I Choose the CMP, Will I Still Have to Take the Traditional MOC Exam?

If you pass the CMP Performance Assessment each year, you won’t need to take the traditional MOC exam or the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment to maintain your certification.

If I Choose the CMP but Change My Mind, Can I Switch Back to ABIM’s Assessments?

Yes, diplomates will always have the option to switch back to ABIM’s assessment. Please contact ACC to un-enroll from the CMP. This will then allow you to register for an ABIM assessment (subject to availability).

I Want to Participate in the CMP. How Do I Confirm That My Personal Computer Will Work?

You can take the CMP Performance Assessment (PA) on a laptop or desktop. Although the learning material and practice questions are available via tablet or mobile phone, you may not use a tablet or mobile phone to take the CMP PA. The SAPs are optimized for use with Chrome and Safari; ACC recommends that you avoid using Internet Explorer, Firefox or other browsers to view this product. If you are able to answer the practice questions within the SAPs on your laptop/desktop, then you will be able to answer the questions within the CMP PA.

Checklist to Prepare for Taking ACCSAP's CMP Performance Assessment (PA):

Do you have Chrome or Safari on your laptop/desktop? (ACC recommends that you avoid using Internet Explorer and Firefox)

Did you engage with the material related to this year's CMP Performance Assessment (e.g., reading the text, watching the presentations and answering all practice questions with a minimum score of 70% correct)?

Do you have a private space that is free from disruptions for the two hours allotted for the assessment?

Do you have reliable internet access?

When Can I take a CMP Performance Assessment?

The CMP SAPs will feature a total of two Performance Assessments (PA) per year. The exact dates can be found on the American College of Cardiology (ACC)’s website.

During each one-week window, you may take the PA once at your convenience any time of day or night. You do not need to schedule a specific time because there is no live proctor.

Is the CMP “Open-Book”?

Yes, but keep in mind that you only have two hours to complete the assessment, which consists of 60 questions.

How Do I Know If I Pass the CMP?

  • After completing a Performance Assessment, most participants will receive immediate feedback about whether they passed or did not pass.
  • Some participants will score within a range that requires additional analysis and will not learn immediately whether they passed. They will learn their status via the Score Report described below.
  • Two weeks after the Performance Assessment window closes, ACC will release detailed score reports with the following information:
    • Your scaled score
    • The passing scaled score
    • Recommended content for further study based on the questions you answered incorrectly. (To maintain question security, you won’t be able to see the questions again or see exactly which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly.)
  • ACC will email all participants when the score report is available within the CMP Hub.

Why don’t I see my CMP result in my Physician Portal?

You must be current on payments for all your certificates to avoid delays in processing ABIM/ACC Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) score results or external activity credit. If you pay the year before your payment is due you’ll get a 5% discount on all annual fees; if you pay after the due year there will be a $40 fee. Learn More

If you decide you no longer want to maintain one of your certificates, you must inform ABIM by January 31 of the current year or you will be charged the certificate fee for the year. You can opt to stop maintaining one or more of your certificates by signing in to your Physician Portal.

What Happens If I Don't Pass the CMP Performance Assessment in the Year my Assessment is Due?

  • Starting the year that your MOC assessment requirement is due, you must pass the CMP Performance Assessment (PA) every year to meet your assessment requirement. CMP participation before your assessment due year does not require a passing score.
  • You have two opportunities to pass each year
  • If you do not pass a CMP PA in the year that your assessment requirement is due, you won’t lose your certification. Instead, you will need to take ABIM’s traditional, 10-year MOC exam to achieve a passing score. After passing the traditional, 10-year MOC exam, you can return to the CMP.

Do I Have to Buy ACCSAP Each Year to Participate in CMP?

Your purchase of ACCSAP includes five years of access, so you only need to buy it once every five years.

What Is the Total Cost to Participate in the CMP?

Participation in the CMP involves two separate costs:

  • ABIM annual cost to participate in MOC*
    • $220 per year if you pay in the year due
    • 5% discount if paid prior to year it is due
    • $40 fee if paid after the year in which it was due

      *Paid directly to ABIM regardless of the MOC option you choose
  • ACCSAP purchase, which gives you five years of access to all learning and assessment materials**
    • $1,500 for an ACC member
    • $1,900 for a nonmember
    • $900 for fellows in training or emeritus members

**Paid directly to ACC for access to all CME learning content, plus the option to use ACCSAP as your MOC assessment option through the CMP.

My institution subscribes to CardioSource Plus. Will the CMP be available through it?

Your institution’s subscription to CardioSource Plus includes the traditional elements of ACCSAP (text, presentations and practice questions). It does not include the CMP Performance Assessment element. If you want to participate in the CMP, you will need to purchase your own personal version of the relevant SAP.

My assessment due date is not until 2025 or later. When should I start participating in the CMP?

  • You are not required to do anything before the year your assessment is due. As long as you take the Performance Assessment and pass it in the year your current certificate expires, you will be reported as maintaining your certification.
  • You can gain experience taking Performance Assessments without the stress of achieving a passing score by purchasing the relevant SAP early and taking the Performance Assessment. You are not required to pass a Performance Assessment until the year your assessment is due.
  • In addition to helping you become familiar with the Performance Assessment, the relevant SAP will also provide you with all of the CME and MOC Medical Knowledge (Part II) points that you need each year.
  • If you decide that you would prefer to take a different assessment option, you may use ACCSAP as a study tool or you may simply use it to keep yourself current in cardiovascular knowledge.

Can I use the CMP to regain my certification status if my ABIM certification in a cardiovascular specialty has lapsed?

  • No, currently the only "re-entry" pathways for a lapsed certificate are to take and pass the traditional 10-year MOC exam; or,
  • Participate in ABIM’s Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKATM).
    • Please note that because a decision on performance is not made until the end of the 5th year of LKA participation, a physician will be reported as “Not Certified” until that time. A physician whose certification has lapsed may use the traditional, 10-year MOC exam to restore certification more quickly.

Can I take the Performance Assessment as many times as I want during the administration windows?

No, you will have two chances annually to take and pass your Performance Assessment and you may take it once during an administration window.

Besides meeting the Performance Assessment requirement, does participating in the ACCSAP CMP also fulfill ABIM’s MOC requirements?

With regard to ABIM’s MOC point requirement, over time, continuous engagement with the annual CMP will earn you more than enough MOC points to meet the MOC 100-point requirement every five years. However, if your five-year MOC points requirement is due within the next two or three years, additional points may be necessary. This would depend on how many points you have already accrued once you enter the pathway.

Be sure to check your ABIM Physician Portal to see your specific circumstance. If you are maintaining certification in interventional cardiology, please note that the five-year attestation requirement also remains in place.