At least 17 states have introduced legislation banning maintenance of certification as a requirement for medical licensure.
This article was originally published on the Credentialing Resource Center, June 20, 2017.
Texas is the latest state to pass legislation banning its state medical board from requiring maintenance of certification (MOC) as a criterion for licensure. The law was signed by Governor Greg Abbott earlier this month and goes into effect on January 1, 2018.
Under the law, the Texas Medical Board cannot use MOC as a requirement for physicians to obtain or renew their Texas medical license. The law also prohibits hospitals and health plans from differentiating between physicians who have undergone the process and those who haven't in matters related to payment, contracting, or credentialing.
Hospitals that want to authorize the differentiation will only be able to do so if the medical staff votes in favor. The governing board, the administration, or a single person will not be able to make this decision.
If the medical staff does vote to have some differentiation between physicians who go through MOC and those that do not, it has to establish appropriate grandfathering provisions.
The Texas Medical Association supported the bill and views the tests as burdensome and expensive, without positively impacting the quality of patient care.
The Texas Hospital Association, however, said that the bill "could put patient care at risk."
At least 17 states have introduced legislation banning requirements for MOC, according to MedPageToday.
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