1. Home
  2. Maintenance of Certification at BCM
  3. Getting Started
  4. Credit Opportunity: QI Poster

Credit Opportunity: QI Poster

Earn MOC Part 4 Credit | Maintenance of Certification at BCM

QI EFFORT TYPE:

QI Poster

PARTICIPATION SUBMISSION DEADLINES:
Refer to posted Monthly and Year-End Deadlines, unless otherwise noted.


TO REQUEST CREDIT:
One (1) QI Poster - Physician/PA Attestation & Poster Submission Form must be submitted by each physician/PA seeking credit; no group or team submissions accepted.

When submitting requests for credit, time is of the essence. As such, each physician/PA is responsible for ensuring their participation submission meets all BCM MOC Program requirements and deadlines.

See below instructions for more information. Attestation & Poster Submission Form requirements and details provided in Step 2.


Overview
EARN CREDIT WITH YOUR QI POSTER
Eligible physicians and physician assistants (PA) can earn MOC Part 4 credit/points or NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME credit, respectively, for one of the following roles, as related to a qualified QI Poster presented at a recent academic or professional conference/meeting:
  • Author/Co-Author of the QI Poster (featuring an improvement project in which they participated)
  • Participant (project team member) in the improvement project featured on the QI Poster (Non-Poster Author)
If approved, MOC Part 4 (Improvements in Medical Practice) credit is issued to physicians by participating Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Likewise, NCCPA Category 1 Performance Improvement Continuing Medical Education (PI-CME) credit is issued to physician assistants by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).


Getting Started

INSTRUCTIONS

If you meet all stated submission and poster eligibility criteria described below, follow the participation submission process in the subsequent section to request credit consideration for your involvement with a qualified QI Poster.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
In order to submit a request for credit consideration, all noted submission AND poster eligibility criteria must be met.


SUBMISSION ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
  • You must be a physician or physician assistant, who is certified by a participating ABMS Member Board or the NCCPA, respectively.

  • You must meet one (1) of the following conditions:

    • Condition 1: You are a current BCM/BCM-affiliated employee.
      (BCM/BCM-Affiliated Employees: If you are not the Project Lead of the improvement project featured in the QI Poster, then the Project Lead must be a current BCM/BCM-affiliated employee.)

    • Condition 2: You are NOT a current BCM/BCM-affiliated employee AND you are NOT affiliated with one of the other ABMS Portfolio Program Sponsor organizations.

    • Condition 3: You are NOT a current BCM/BCM-affiliated employee AND you are affiliated with one of the other ABMS Portfolio Program Sponsor organizations AND the organization currently does NOT have a QI Poster pathway available for MOC Part 4 credit.

    Important: If you are affiliated with one of the other ABMS Portfolio Program Sponsor organizations, you should inquire with them directly regarding their requirements and process for requesting credit for QI Posters.

    Please be advised: While the BCM MOC Program is not permitted to process credit requests from physicians/physician assistants who are affiliated with another ABMS Program Sponsor organization, IF the organization currently does NOT have a QI Poster pathway available for MOC Part 4 credit, THEN the BCM MOC Program may be able to assist in certain circumstances. With that said, the BCM MOC Program reserves the right to limit their services to BCM employees at any time without notice.

  • Your involvement in the noted QI effort/project featured in the QI Poster must meet all stated meaningful participation requirements. Further, the Project Lead (or your Supervisor, if you are the Project Lead) must be able to affirm that you met all stated meaningful participation requirements, if needed (such as for auditing purposes).

  • If you are an author/co-author of the QI Poster, your full name must be listed as such on the poster. Note: As part of the submission process for credit consideration, you will be prompted to submit/upload a copy of the presented QI Poster.

  • The QI Poster must meet all eligibility criteria described in the Poster Criteria section below.
Required Form(s) For Submission:
  • QI Poster - Physician/PA Attestation & Poster Submission Form
    This form must be submitted by EACH individual physician/PA seeking credit (including the Project Lead). NO group or team submissions accepted.
    (See Below: Participation Submission Process, Step 2)

POSTER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
  • The QI Poster:
    • must have been presented (venue) at an academic or professional conference/meeting (including quality week or a small group/breakout session),
    • must have been presented (presentation date) in the same calendar year for which you are seeking credit, and it
    • must reflect a clinical quality improvement (QI) effort/project (this does not include clinical research projects).


  • The QI effort/project featured in the QI Poster:
    • must meet all stated QI Activity Requirements,
    • must be one that was conducted (partially or completely) within the past 12 months,
    • must include the completion of at least one (1) full Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle (not including baseline data collection)1,
    • must not be one that has been submitted previously for MOC Part 4 or NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME credit, and it
    • must be funded in compliance with ABMS Portfolio Program requirements regarding industry/commercial support2.

    Physician Assistants: In addition to the above requirements, the featured QI effort/project ALSO must be conducted at BCM or a BCM-affiliated institution, AND it must be team-based, reflecting an inter-professional project team that includes collaboration with one or more participating physician team members.


  • ALL of the following elements must be clearly displayed on the QI Poster:
    • Poster Authors (full name of each author)
    • Aim Statement/SMART Goal
    • Measures that are aligned to determine if change occurs and relate directly to the Aim Statement/SMART Goal
    • Interventions that have been aligned to impact the measures and were implemented into practice
    • Improvement Cycle(s) reflecting the completion of at least one full PDSA cycle (not including baseline data collection)1


1Reminder: Some participating ABMS Member Boards and the NCCPA may require the completion of more than one improvement cycle. Refer to stated credit translations and requirements (see Tables 1 and 2) for more information regarding project and/or participation standards relevant to your respective certifying body(ies).

2Any commercially supported QI efforts/activities or education-related interventions (that offer AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™) are deemed acceptable IF compliant with ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (effective 01/01/2022), which replaced the former ACCME Standards for Commercial Support. As such and for those physicians/PAs seeking MOC Part 4/NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME credit and to which this applies, the physician/PA is responsible for contacting the BCM MOC Program to discuss their intended QI effort in ensuring their understanding of and compliance with current ACCME standards, as well as for including all related and required documentation in this regard (per ACCME standards) when submitting QI activity/project information to the BCM MOC Program for their attention and processing for credit consideration.


REQUEST CREDIT
Participation Submission Process
Reminder: Please verify that you meet all submission AND poster eligibility criteria BEFORE proceeding with the below steps to request credit consideration.
The steps described should be conducted by EACH physician/PA participant seeking credit. However, some steps (as indicated) include action items that must be completed specifically by the Project Lead, if relevant.

This step is required for BCM/BCM-affiliated physician and physician assistants only. If you are NOT affiliated with BCM, you may skip this step and proceed to Step 2.


REGISTER YOUR QI ACTIVITY
  • Select the designated button below to access the I-QIPS QI Project Registry (use your BCM ECA credentials where prompted).
  • Register your QI Project* by completing all sections/data fields of the QI Project Registry as thoroughly as possible.

    Project Already Registered? Before continuing to Step 2, verify (making any needed updates) that all sections/data fields of the QI Project Registry are current and completed as thoroughly as possible for the project.

    *A QI project should be registered in the QI Project Registry only ONCE. To determine whether another team member may have registered the project already, use the "Search Projects" button provided in the registry to search for your project (e.g., by keyword, team member name, project title, etc.). Each team member listed in the Project Team section of a registered project is able to view and update/edit project details recorded in the QI Project Registry.

Tip: You will be asked in STEP 2 to provide your project's unique Project ID # and Web Link (URL), as assigned by the QI Project Registry.

Reminder: Only BCM/BCM-affiliated physicians and physician assistants are required to register their improvement projects in the QI Project Registry. If you are NOT affiliated with BCM, you may skip this step and proceed to Step 2.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND

The QI Project Registry is used by the BCM MOC Program to manage and track BCM-affiliated QI Activity documentation required for MOC Part 4/NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME submissions for credit consideration.

As such, the Project Lead and/or team may be asked to enter project details in the QI Project Registry, as well as other additional information, including project updates, progress reports, etc. throughout the duration of the project and after project completion.

The project data entered in the QI Project Registry, as well as provided via required forms submitted by the physician/PA participants, will be used by the BCM MOC Program as supporting documentation required for assembling/preparing and ultimately submitting project completion notifications to the ABMS Portfolio Program for credit consideration.


ATTEST TO & REFLECT ON YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE QI ACTIVITY
  • Select the designated button below to access the following form:

    • QI Poster - Physician/PA Attestation & Poster Submission Form

  • Complete & Submit the form by its designated deadline (noted above or otherwise indicated) to request MOC Part 4/NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME credit consideration.

    One (1) form must be submitted by EACH individual physician/PA participant seeking credit. NO group or team submissions accepted.

    Tip: To complete the Physician/PA Attestation & Poster Submission Form, you will need the following items:
    • ABMS Board ID #(s) or NCCPA #
    • NPI #
    • Project ID # and Project Web Link/URL (assigned by the QI Project Registry in Step 1; required for BCM-affiliated physicians/PAs ONLY)
    • QI Poster (Adobe PDF or MS PowerPoint format for upload to form)
    • Project Lead's Full Name and Email Address

Note: Upon accessing the online form, you will be asked to create a User ID and Password, which will allow you to save your work and return at a later time during the submission period. Unless you select the "submit" button at the end of the form, it will not be submitted for review. An automated confirmation notification will be displayed when the form is submitted successfully.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND

If needed (such as for auditing purposes), the BCM MOC Program may be required to have select QI Poster - Physician/PA Attestation & Poster Submission Forms reviewed and signed-off by the Project Lead (or by a Supervisor, if the Project Lead's form is selected).

Project Lead: If you are asked by the BCM MOC Program to review/sign-off on any Attestation & Reflection Forms submitted by physician/PA participants on your project team, a timely response is required in order for the forms to be processed for credit consideration.

When a QI Poster - Physician/PA Attestation & Poster Submission Form is submitted, it is reviewed by the BCM MOC Program. Data from the form is used to inform/prepare completion notifications for submission to the ABMS Portfolio Program, who works directly with participating ABMS Member Boards and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) to approve and issue MOC Part 4 or NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME credit. If approved, credit is issued and recorded directly by the relevant ABMS Board(s) or the NCCPA.


WRAP-UP REMAINING REQUIREMENTS & SUSTAIN ANY GAINS SEEN FROM YOUR QI ACTIVITY
  • Finalize project details, as related to credit requirements:
    • Address (if relevant) any remaining additional diplomate requirements (Table 2) for credit consideration, as indicated by some ABMS Member Boards.
    • Project Lead: Enter project updates in the QI Project Registry at three (3) months and six (6) months post-project completion. Additional updates may be requested as needed for reporting.
    • Project Lead: Retain project documentation for at least six (6) years.

  • Maintain improvement gains and project outcomes through ongoing implementation of standardized processes for ensuring sustainability.

GENERAL NOTE

Participation submission deadlines and requirements are subject to change at any time per updates from the ABMS Portfolio Program. Physicians/PAs will be contacted directly if any additional information is required regarding their submitted requests for credit consideration.

Actual MOC Part 4/NCCPA Category 1 PI-CME credit is not approved or granted by the BCM MOC Program; rather, it is done so through the BCM MOC Program by the relevant participating ABMS Member Boards or the NCCPA. There is no cost to participate in the BCM MOC Program; however, any applicable fees required by a participating ABMS Member Boards or the NCCPA must be current for the physician/PA to receive credit/points.