CME Guide: American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) MOC Requirements

CMEList January 2, 2019

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) requires physicians to earn a specific number of MOC points and/or CME credits every year to maintain their board certification. The number of credits you need to earn varies depending on exactly which specialty board you are certified by. Check out the chart below to find out exactly how many credits you need to earn to maintain your board certification and for courses that will help you meet your recertification requirements.

How many MOC points and/or CME credits does your specialty board require for recertification?

Specialty Board Recertification RequirementsSuggested Courses 
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)1 MOC activity every 2 years and 200 MOC points (40 which must be medical knowledge) every 10 years.Internal Medicine CME Courses
American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)25 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every year on physician's field of practiceEmergency Medicine CME Courses
American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI)25 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every yearAllergy and Immunology CME Courses
American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)250 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 10 yearsAnesthesiology CME Courses
American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS)90 APA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 5 years. 50 of the 90 credits must include a self-assessment (SA) activity.Colorectal Surgery CME Courses
American Board of Dermatology (ABD)25 Category 1 CME credits every yearDermatology CME Courses
American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)150 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 3 yearsFamily Medicine CME Courses
American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG)250 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 10 yearsGenetics CME Courses
American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS)20 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every yearNeurosurgery CME Courses
American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM)125 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 5 yearsNuclear Medicine CME Courses
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG)30 ABOG approved articles every year Obstetrics and Gynecology CME Courses
American Board of Ophthalmology (ABOP)250 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 10 yearsOphthalmology CME Courses
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)120 ACCME Category 1 CME/SAE Credits by year 3 and an additional 120 ACCME Category 1 CME/SAE credits by the second 3-year cycleOrthopaedic Surgery CME Courses
American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (ABOTO)25 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every yearOtolaryngology CME Courses
American Board of Pathology (ABP)70 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM every 2 yearsPathology CME Courses
American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)40 self-assessment (SA) points, 40 quality improvement (QI) points, and an additional SA or QI points every 5 yearsPediatrics CME Courses
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR)150 Category 1 CME credits every 5 years Physical Medicine CME Courses
American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)150 CME Credits every 3 years. At least 60 must be Category 1 Credits. Plastic Surgery CME Courses
American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM)100 Category 1 ACCME Hours every 10 yearsPreventive Medicine CME Courses
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)90 Category 1 CME Credits every 3 yearsPsychiatry CME Courses
Neurology CME Courses
American Board of Radiology (ABR)Maintain a continuous average of 75 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM over the 3 previous yearsRadiology CME Courses
American Board of Surgery (ABS)150 CME Credits every 5 yearsGeneral Surgery CME Courses
American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS)150 AMA Category 1 CME CreditsTM every 5 years. 75 must be in the category of cardiothoracic surgery. Thoracic Surgery CME Courses
American Board of Urology (ABU)90 CME Credits every 3 years. 30 must be Category 1 Credits. Urology CME Courses