State medical boards preparing new Maintenance of Licensure framework

Patrick Alguire, MD, FACP, senior vice president of medical education at ACP, recently authored a paper “Maintenance of Licensure: Supporting a Physician's Commitment to Lifelong Learning,” which details the upcoming changes to the Maintenance of Licensure (MOL) procedures for physicians.

In 2010, the Federation of State Medical Boards' House of Delegates voted to adopt a framework for MOL that would address concerns that current requirements for physicians are not sufficient when the knowledge and skills needed to practice medicine continue to grow exponentially. The new framework for MOL addresses those concerns through three components: reflective self-assessment; assessment of knowledge and skills; and performance in practice. Since implementation of MOL remains in the purview of state medical boards, some states may begin to adopt the new framework as early as 2014, and implementation may begin slowly and incorporate one component at time. The paper provides information on the new requirements and the probable timetable for implementation.