Physicians Across Minnesota Can Obtain
Board Certification Credit
for Quality and Practice Improvement Activities
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – December
11, 2017 – The
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced that the Minnesota
Hospital Association (MHA) has joined the ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program™
(Portfolio Program). Hospitals and health systems participating in MHA’s continuous
quality and patient safety improvement activities can now support Maintenance
of Certification (MOC) Improvement in
Medical Practice (Part IV) credit for physicians who are Board Certified by
one of the 20 of 24 ABMS Member Boards participating in the Portfolio Program.
Through ABMS MOC Improvement
in Medical Practice credit, physicians can meet the requirements for
maintaining their certification while meaningfully participating in quality and
patient safety improvement programs in their organizations. MHA member hospitals
and health systems are currently engaged in improvement efforts across the care
continuum on clinical topics such as surgery and procedural care, healthcare-associated
infections, medication safety, sepsis, delirium, falls, pressure injuries and
many other types of adverse health events and harm across the board.
Physicians’ roles in these improvement initiatives may range from being an engaged
team member, to acting as a physician champion, to actively serving on MHA’s
statewide quality committees.
“Leading and sustaining continuous quality and safety
improvement across Minnesota will take all team members acting in unison in
service of our patients, families and communities,” said Rahul Koranne, MD,
MBA, FACP, MHA Chief Medical Officer. “We are honored to partner with ABMS to facilitate
MOC credit. Closely aligning physicians’ pursuit of their continuing Board
Certification with hospitals’ and health systems’ quality improvement efforts
will minimize duplication, confusion and waste while helping further accelerate
Minnesota’s continuous quality improvement journey.”
MHA has led quality and patient safety improvement across Minnesota
since it became the first hospital association in the country to employ a leader
focused on patient safety improvement 17 years ago. Minnesota’s hospitals and
health systems have multiple quality and patient safety initiatives to improve
care through evidence-based practices. Minnesota’s leadership on quality and
patient safety is recognized throughout the nation and other states look to MHA
in creating their own patient safety programs.
“We are excited to be working with
MHA to assist their member hospitals and health systems in engaging their
physician partners, and offering them the opportunity to earn MOC credit for
their work in these important and impactful quality and practice improvement
activities and patient safety programs,” said David W. Price, MD, FAAFP,
FACEHP, Executive Director of the Portfolio Program. “The Portfolio Program
continues to illustrate how the Boards Community, in partnership with a wide
range of health care organizations, can impact patient safety and practice
improvement. The activities developed by MHA meet the high standards of the
Portfolio Program and lend themselves to helping hospitals and health systems
make significant and practical practice and quality improvements that will
improve patient safety and improve outcomes.”
To date, the Portfolio Program has helped engage physicians
in quality and practice improvement initiatives at hospitals and health systems
across the country, with many showing improvement in care outcomes. Since its
inception, more than 2,400 improvement efforts have been completed by Portfolio
Program participants.
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About ABMS
Established in 1933,
the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) continues to be the leading
not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United
States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and
implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and
certification of physician specialists. More than 880,000 physicians are
certified in one or more of the approved 39 specialties and 86 subspecialties
offered by the ABMS Member Boards. For more information about
ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.
About the
Minnesota Hospital Association
The
Minnesota Hospital Association represents 142 hospitals and health systems,
which provide quality care for their patients and meet the needs of their
communities.