Maintain Certification

Sharpen your knowledge. Advance your practice.

Why participate?

In the process of maintaining your certification, you will:

  • Receive credit for quality improvement activities you may already be doing
  • Stay up-to-date on best practices in patient care
  • Assure patients of your commitment to quality clinical outcomes and patient safety

Am I eligible to maintain certification?

You are eligible to maintain your certification if you:

  • Have an active ABA certification in anesthesiology and/or a subspecialty,
  • Participate in continuous learning activities through Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA), and
  • Pay the annual fee
    • $210 for your first certificate
    • $100 for each additional certificate

**Note: Annual registration fees are cumulative. If you do not pay your registration fee in year one, you will be expected to pay two fees in year two.

How to maintain your certification

To meet the ABMS Standards for Continuing Certification, our MOCA program is transitioning from a 10-year cycle to a five-year cycle. Board-certified anesthesiologists certified before 2024 should meet the requirements of the 10-year cycle below to remain in good standing. Physicians will enter the five-year cycle when their current 10-year cycle expires. All newly certified board-certified anesthesiologists will use the five-year cycle. Learn how to check your certification cycle expiration date here.

Learn More

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Earn 125 CME credits by year five, including 10 ABA-approved patient safety credits

MOCA Minute®

Answer 120 MOCA Minute questions per calendar year and/or maintain a p-value of ≥ 0.10

Quality Improvement (QI)

Earn and attest to a total of 25 QI points by year five

This timeline shows how you can keep up with MOCA requirements over your five-year cycle.

Certified
5 Years

Don’t forget to apply for your annual MOCA registration!

Stay on Track

Every year, complete the following:

  • 50-60 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits
  • 120 MOCA Minute questions (30/quarter)
  • ~5 Quality Improvement (QI) points

And maintain an active, unrestricted license to practice medicine in at least one jurisdiction of the U.S. or Canada.

What ABA certification means for you

ABA certification means you will be listed in the ABA directory, visible to potential patients and employers alongside thousands of other qualified practitioners under the gold standard for excellence in anesthesiology. Ongoing certification will ensure you stay up to date on the latest advancements in quality care and patient safety.

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