Monday, July 06, 2015

Helping the ACP Define "Professional Accountability"

Over the weekend, the Executive Vice President and CEO of the American College of Physicians (ACP), Steven Weinberger, MD, sent an email to update their members about the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. In that email, Dr. Weinberger said that "the ABIM MOC program continues to be an area of concern for many ACP members, so I'm writing to update you about ACP's ongoing work in this area and our efforts to improve ABIM's MOC process. I also want to reassure you that reforming the MOC process continues to be a top priority for ACP."

It appears the ACP is happy with applying more lipstick on the ABIM MOC pig. It is sad that the ACP, an important primary care physician professional organization, continues to side with the grossly corrupt MOC program marketed by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

But the email didn't stop there.

Rather than take accountability for actions like accepting grants from the corrupt ABIM Foundation that grew from the covert collection of physician re-certification fees, the ACP has instead decided to re-define what it means to be "accountable" by "updating" its "Professional Accountability Principles."  By doing so, it appears the ACP continues to believe such self-proclaimed edicts will appease their membership and they should just look the other way and be reassured that the ACP has their membership's best interests in mind.

Of course for practicing physicians, it now appears clear that nothing could be further from the truth.

True accountability involves meaningful reform and transparency and consequences when the trust of their practicing physicians is violated. Given what we now know about the interconnected non-profit lives of the ACP, the ABMS, the ABIM, and its Foundation, we are seeing the underbelly of a patronage system that benefits the leaders of these organization with little regard for practicing physicians. 

For instance, does the ACP acknowledge the money they received from the ABIM Foundation to "promote awareness in the area of internal medicine" and offer to refund these funds to their members in a gesture of apologetic good will?

No.

Does the ACP offer to ask the ABIM why there is no concern of what happens to patients who lose their ability to receive care from a physician because the corrupt MOC program fails them and they can no longer practice their trade or retain hospital credentials?

No.

Does the ACP have any concern whatsoever about the unaccountable self-appointed nature of bureaucratic non-profits who can change their policies to meet their own needs instead of the needs of practicing physicians without recourse from their membership?

No.

By continuing their insistence on "reforming" the corrupt MOC program, the ACP risks becoming just as irrelevant as the ABIM. 

So here's my suggestion how internists can help the ACP define "accountability:" resign their membership and don't renew.  Then the ACP might learn what real "professional accountabilty" as defined by their membership really means. 

-Wes

6 comments:

x said...

i am not continuing my acp membership.

i request all medical professionals in the teaching positions to enlighten their students about the fraud going on with their future. the more student physicians will leave giving dollars to acp, quicker it will learn to speak truth.

we physicians should al let our CME money go waste or spend it out of the nexus of these abim associated nexus of crony organisations. after all it is our money and although it should be offered as part of our salary and not as CME specific money but at least by spending it at right place we can dry the coffers of corrupt organisations more quickly.

Anonymous said...



He's got all the backbone of a wet noodle.

Anonymous said...

When Four Evil Giants Cursed the Land
ACP
AMA
ABIM
ABIMF
Four giant ogres from out of the devil's brain sprang.
Their foul smelling words and lawless ambitions were the curse of the land.
Then a young foreign resident came out of the working class ranks
Asking, “Which of these wicked monsters most greatly offends?”

“So evil are their hearts and so arrogant their heads,
It doesn’t matter; strike the first in line,” cried Saul.
“Just use your sling of truth on the nearest
And all the slothful, avaricious cowards will fall.”

Anonymous said...

Wes, in 2009 I rented my ABIM certification. I was so disgusted with the Physician Self-Improvement module (colossal waste of my and my colleagues time) that I wrote several nasty letters to the powers that be at ABIM. In addition, because of the affiliation of ACP with ABIM I cancelled my ACP membership. I never liked the Anals anyway. I haven't looked back in six years and don't miss my ACP membership.

Robert C., MD

Gary M. Levin said...

The vast majority of MDs don't really give a damn ! Only when it hurts their wallets do they cry out "foul". Dr. Wes is one of the chosen few to carry a righteous banner for all of us. Foundations are easily corrupted and the label "non-profit' no longer carries much weight for many of them. Foundations are a means of camouflaging the flow of money. One can still follow the money. In a foundation the spenders are usually separate from the revenue collectors....that way there can be no conflict of interest. For the last ten years of practice I resigned from the AAO, the AMA, and every specialty society I belonged to. The internet is the means to receive CME from many other credible sources without organized medicine or academia profitting. The old legacy ways of doing things are surely dying off.

Scroll to libdoc2020@drlward (RT) of LarryWard MD @populationdoc said...

Professionalism in the New Millenum -- the many forms of intimidation/harassment the ABIM/ACP engage in for monopoly power and control of physicians.

Link: Twitter exchange with LibDoc2020 (paid or unpaid?/solicited or unsolicited? ABIM/ACP stunt/flushing out/or self-initiated raving by a power-hungry public health lunatic?)
https://twitter.com/LibDoc2020/status/1130194862953914369

Nothing Demonizes the ACP/ABIM More THAN THEMSELVES and THIS Kind of Unbridled/Unprofessional/Immature Behavior Engaged in by the Professor of Medicine and Executive Vice Chairman of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University (ACP PAS Governor)

Anonymous aggressive trolling/baiting/harassment by Lawrence David Ward, MD the ACP PAS Governor (Southeast Region 2018-2022) and close ABIM affiliate (see ACP profile below)

I wonder what the University or ABIM/ACP would think of this kind of ["anonymous"] wild, bizarre and unprofessional political/social [almost pathological] ranting by one of their professional medical politicians and part time administrative physician/academicians? Who has time for this? [libdoc2020 does not identify himself]

Nothing is anonymous online. If the ACP Gov wants to flash his political importance in public let him make a fool out of himself online as the LibDoc2020. Twitter or the University should imo shut him down for violations of policy, but there may be something in the way of testimony that can be gained if he continues. Perhaps even expose things about who he is and why he would behave this way. I am dumbfounded after learning who it is.

Look at the over the top political muck Larry Ward writes on his twitter account (but there is no trace of the Dr. Wes/MOC exchange.
https://twitter.com/LibDoc2020

Quite a list of associations Larry has with folks like the NCQA PCMH (awards) etc. Read the list.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-ward

ACP Profile
https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/chapters-regions/united-states/pennsylvania-chapter/meet-the-pas-governor-lawrence-d-ward-md-mph-facp

Larry's official twitter account
https://twitter.com/LWardMD

ABIM participating in MOC 2002 initial cert.
https://www.abim.org/verify-physician/Ward-Lawrence-Vub1Zd60iIM=.aspx

From the hotlink above dated April 8, 2017 which exposes the two twitter accounts and the same author Larry Ward, MD
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:JHWFm2ZhKJkJ:https://www.altmetric.com/details/15949614/twitter+&cd=31&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[LibDoc2020@drlward
RT @populationdoc: The future of #LungCancer screening is in question. May not be sustainable & requires too many resources w/ hi patient c…
08 Apr 2017

Larry Ward, MD@populationdoc
The future of #LungCancer screening is in question. May not be sustainable & requires too many resources w/ hi patient complexity. https://t.co/GjFRwxQ3Ft
08 Apr 2017Reply Retweet Favourite]

https://www.whitepages.com/name/Lawrence-D-Ward/Philadelphia-PA?l=Philadelphia+PA&q=Lawrence+D+Ward

Stephanie Hurley Ward, MD ABIM participating in MOC 2005 initial certification
https://www.abim.org/verify-physician/Ward-Stephanie-xWbYBwTmUUs=.aspx

https://www.healthcare6.com/physician/wynnewood-pa/stephanie-ward-1420290.html

https://www.pals.pa.gov/#/page/searchresult

https://twitter.com/jeffersonjcph?lang=en

https://www.jefferson.edu/university/population-health.html