MOC Part 4 and Portfolio Sponsorship

About Maintenance of Care (MOC) Part 4 and Being a Portfolio Sponsor:

Children’s of Alabama has been an MOC part 4 sponsor since 2019. This means that our program focuses on supporting rigorous QI project and helping physicians meet receive credit for their improvement activities. This relationship enables us to review, support, and approve ongoing quality improvement projects within our health system that meet the requirements set forth by the ABP and our hospital’s Quality Improvement Internal Review Committee (QIIRC).

QIIRC is team of physicians with advanced training in improvement science. This group meets regularly to establish and assure internal processes are in place to meet Children's of Alabama and ABP standards. The QIIRC is responsible for establishing and reinforcing program policies, reviewing project applications, determining credit eligibility, and reporting updates through the American Board of Pediatrics.

Once a project is approved and the attestation of participation forms are completed, MOC part 4 credit can be granted to all participating physicians who meet the minimal participation requirements. Project applications are submitted online to the QIIRC (instead of the ABP). The QIIRC members are also available to provide feedback and coaching on project proposals. There is no fee associated with the Children's of Alabama QIIRC application, whereas the ABP does charge an amount depending on the number of involved physicians. 

Each project is worth 25 points towards MOC Part 4. Recertification for MOC part 4 requires 40 points, so you will typically need to complete two QI projects during your 5-year cycle to meet ABP requirements.

There are other ways to earn part 4 credit in addition to participation in projects approved by Children's of Alabama’s Portfolio Program, including online performance improvement modules, applying directly to the ABP, presentation of QI work at the AAP National Conference, Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice (EQIPP) modules, or National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home or Specialty Practice (PCMH/PCSP).

Residents do not need to earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 4 credit as part of their training. However, they will need it once they are board certified. Residents can now earn their approved quality improvement work completed during residency that they can “bank” for use later. At the end of residency, upon passing the initial certification exam, residents become ABP certified and enter their first 5-year MOC activities cycle. Any previously banked credit is then added to their portfolio and counts towards their MOC part 4 requirements.

Currently we only support pediatric physicians but are working to include other specialties.

• Project requirements
• Get started on your project
• Attestation information