Additional information for individuals interested in fulfilling a leadership position for the application and submission of projects to obtain American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Part IV Maintenance of Certification (MOC4) credit can be found below.
The time needed to fulfill the role of project leader varies depending on the project at hand.
Project leaders must:
- Determine who is eligible to participate in and receive MOC4 credit for the project (i.e. individual members of a department or division, practicing physicians in Indiana, practicing pediatricians across the U.S., etc.)
- Determine the duration of time in which participants must actively participate in order to receive MOC4 credit
- Determine the criteria for education in quality improvement that will be necessary for participants to complete for MOC4 credit. This may include attending IU School of Medicine faculty-led development workshops, completing modules from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) website, or other educational activities chosen by the project leader and approved by the committee
- Complete the project application for MOC4 projects and submit to the IU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Faculty Quality Improvement Portfolio Committee
- Ensure the project is initiated and performed according to the project application once the project has been approved
- Record project participant names and the dates in which they participated
- Ensure active participation of all participants within the group. The project leader is responsible for leading periodic meetings, orchestrating collaborative discussions utilizing the tools of quality improvement (run charts, control charts) and outcomes measured as stated in the project application. Attendance must be taken at every meeting to ensure participant attendance for the required number of meetings to receive credit.
- Determine whether participants are able to attend meetings via phone or web. The ABP strongly encourages requiring at least one meeting in person during the duration of the project.
- Provide documentation to the committee with the names of individuals participating in the project throughout the duration of their participation
- Ensure participants have completed all of the participation requirements. When these requirements have been met, participants will complete an attestation form to submit to the project leader. If the project leader agrees that the participant has met these requirements, the project leader will then submit the attestation(s) to the committee.
- Apply for renewal of the project if it extends beyond two years. All projects are approved for a two year period.
- Inform the committee when the project is complete.
Project leaders must complete the appropriate MOC4 project application form. The form should be completed and emailed to the review committee. The committee will review each application and either approve or make suggestions for improvements. The committee will attempt to respond within six weeks of receiving the application. Links to the applications can be found on the MOC4 homepage.
Committee members have expertise in developing and performing quality improvement projects. Project leaders may request a mentor by contacting the review committee. Mentors will discuss projects and provide suggestions to project leaders.
The review committee provides faculty development projects on quality improvement bi-annually. This can be used as the education for a project. Alternatively, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has educational opportunities available on their website. Any courses listed under “Improvement Capability” can be used as educational requirements for an MOC4 project. IU School of Medicine has institutional access for participants to be able to access these modules free of charge. Request for access may be made by emailing the review committee.
Projects that are based on improving the use of best practices and limit discussion of the results to providers involved in the project do not require IRB approval prior to starting the project. However, if the goal of the project is to disseminate the lessons learned to the results of the project, IRB approval must be obtained. This will usually be an exempt IRB submission which requires minimal paperwork. In general, it is best to get IRB approval before starting a project if there is any chance participants will want to disseminate the results.