The completion of Part 2 and 4 activities is a requirement of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process. Many of these activities are available to physicians seeking to fulfill this requirement through sponsor organizations.

What are Sponsor Organizations?

Sponsor organizations are permanent, identifiable entities external to the ABP. Activities developed by such organizations are approved through a formal review process.

These organizations include:

• Hospitals
• Healthcare organizations
• State or nationwide networks and collaboratives
• National professional societies
• Corporations

What can Sponsor Organizations do?

Sponsor organizations may develop Part 2 and 4 activities or a combination of both.

MOC Part 2 activities are Web-based activities that fulfill the lifelong learning requirement for MOC.

MOC Part 4 activities are either Web-based activities or quality improvement (QI) projects that are focused on improving professional practice. Physicians must attest to Meaningful Participation as part of a QI Project. Meaningful Participation is defined by the ABP as involving both an active role in the project, and participation over an appropriate period of time. The ABP approves QI projects in which pediatricians are active participants in implementing change.

The pediatrician must:

• Be intellectually engaged in planning and executing the project.
• Implement the project’s interventions (the changes designed to improve care).
• Review data in keeping with the project’s measurement plan.
• Collaborate actively by attending team meetings.

How can an organization get its activity approved for credit?

Organizations may apply to have completed, ongoing, or new activities approved for MOC credit. Once an organization's application has been reviewed and its activity approved, the organization is then referred to as a "Sponsor Organization." Sponsors may have multiple activity approvals.

Read a more detailed overview of the sponsor activity approval process.

Pediatric Portfolio Sponsor Overview

In an effort to reduce the application burden and costs for organizations, the ABP has developed the Pediatric Portfolio Sponsor Program for organizations that are managing many MOC-approved QI projects.

What can Portfolio Sponsors do?

As an approved Portfolio Sponsor, organizations evaluate their own quality improvement (QI) projects against the ABP standards and approve QI projects internally for MOC credit.

The Pediatric Portfolio Sponsor Program applies to practice-related QI efforts-not to Web-based modules or Part 2 self-assessment activities.

Read a more detailed overview of the Pediatric Portfolio Sponsor Program.

Multi-Specialty MOC Portfolio Approval Program Overview

The Multi-Specialty MOC Portfolio Approval Program (Portfolio Program) offers a single process for healthcare organizations to support physician involvement in quality improvement and MOC across multiple ABMS specialties.

This pathway offers a streamlined approach for organizations that sponsor and support multiple, well-designed QI efforts involving physicians across multiple specialties to work with ABMS member boards to grant MOC Part 4 credit to physicians who are involved in those improvement efforts.

Read a more detailed overview of the Multi-Specialty MOC Portfolio Approval Program.