ABIM is launching a new version of the Gastroenterology LKA that focuses on liver disorders. This new assessment option is the result of an evidence-based process through which ABIM collected extensive data from the gastroenterology community and analyzed the results to determine which focused areas would be most beneficial to the majority of specialists practicing in gastroenterology. The tentative launch date is July 2026.
Gastroenterology Liver-Focused LKA FAQs
What is the new liver-focused LKA?
It will be a new version of the Gastroenterology LKA intended for those who see a large number of patients with liver disorders.
How will the liver-focused LKA be different from the general Gastroenterology LKA?
All focused assessments, including the one for liver disorders, must have a 70% overlap with the general profile topic areas in order for ABIM to issue the same certificate and passing score in that discipline. There will be a greater proportion of questions about liver disease on the focused LKA compared to the general Gastroenterology LKA, but they will be at the same level of difficulty as this topic area outlined on the general blueprint.
This allows the assessment to differentiate itself enough from the general assessment to better meet the needs of physicians who primarily focus on liver disease, while making sure it is not so distinct that it warrants a more specialized certificate. Anyone taking this new focused LKA will remain ABIM Board Certified in Gastroenterology without a distinction for a focus on liver disease.
In addition, the Gastroenterology Blueprint is also being updated to be more clinically focused, rather than anatomically based. The process of updating the blueprint includes opportunities for diplomates and gastroenterology societies to provide feedback that will shape the new blueprint, which will be finalized and published in January 2026. At the same time, the liver-focused LKA blueprint will be announced.
Who can enroll in the liver-focused LKA?
The new liver-focused version of the Gastroenterology LKA will be available to anyone currently certified in gastroenterology and due for an MOC assessment. It can also be used as a pathway to reinstate a lapsed gastroenterology certificate, however, because a decision on performance is not made until the end of the fifth year of participation in the LKA cycle, physicians cannot use the LKA to meet their assessment requirement (i.e., reinstate certification in gastroenterology) until they receive a passing score on the summative decision at the end of the fifth LKA year.
My Gastroenterology MOC assessment is due in 2025. How can I participate in the liver-focused version of the LKA?
If you are due for an assessment in 2025 and interested in participating in the new liver-focused LKA when it becomes available, you should enroll in the general Gastroenterology LKA as early as December 1, 2024.
You can switch to the new liver-focused version when it becomes available, if you like, as long as you are meeting the LKA Participation Requirement. ABIM will be in touch with more detailed information about when and how to switch closer to launch.
A liver-focused version of the traditional, 10-year MOC exam will not be available.
Keep in mind that taking and passing the traditional, 10-year MOC exam in Gastroenterology means your next assessment will be due 10 years later (2035), and you will not be eligible to take the LKA, including the liver-focused version, during that time.
My Gastroenterology MOC assessment is due in 2026. How can I participate in the liver-focused version of the LKA?
If you are due for an assessment in 2026 and interested in participating in the new liver-focused LKA when it becomes available, you should enroll in the general Gastroenterology LKA between December 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, and switch when the new assessment becomes available. As long as you continue to meet the LKA Participation Requirement and all other MOC requirements, you will remain reported as Certified through 2031.
How did ABIM determine the liver-focused LKA?
ABIM used two data collection methods to determine the scope of practice and what would most benefit gastroenterologists today: physician surveys and Medicare claims. The analysis used a population-based survey methodology that was administered between August and October 2024 to 3,000 doctors who were representative of the board certified population of gastroenterologists.
In the survey, physicians were asked to estimate the percentage of their time spent caring for patients across the eleven primary categories outlined in the Gastroenterology Blueprint. Physicians were also asked whether they viewed their own practice as a general gastroenterology practice (where they see patients with a wide variety of conditions) or focused their practice to some degree on patients with select gastroenterology conditions.
From the data, ABIM identified one distinct group of physicians in which there seemed to be a common practice profile—namely a focus on patients with liver disease—and in which there was a sufficient number of physicians to sustain a separate profile. These findings were validated by a parallel analysis where scope of practice for more than 10,000 gastroenterologists was determined using 2022 Medicare fee-for-service evaluation and management and/or procedural claims data.
Will additional focused assessments be developed for gastroenterologists?
Though there were some common practice groups that showed some signal in the analysis—specifically pancreas/biliary tract or inflammatory bowel disorder—these groups did not project to have enough physicians to support focused assessment practice profiles in 2026. However, they may become viable in the future as the number of physicians participating in the LKA grows and gastroenterology practices evolve. ABIM plans to revisit the work examining the scope of practice for gastroenterologists in the future to determine whether new opportunities for assessment practice profiles arise.
Why is the target launch for the new focused assessment in July 2026?
While ABIM traditionally introduces new assessments in January of any given year, an earlier date is being pursued in recognition of the significant interest the community has shown in focused assessments in gastroenterology. July 2026 is the target, and ABIM will keep the community informed with updates along the way, including whether that date needs to change.
Developing increasingly relevant assessments that uphold the very highest standards of our credential takes time. In the next two years, ABIM will invest significant effort and resources into IT systems and the item development process, which involves recruiting many more experts in the field to write and revise items. These items will be reviewed by the Gastroenterology Approval Committees (which are composed entirely of practicing physician experts and experienced item-writers).