The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) recently switched from Maintenance of Certification (MOC) exams to questions administered every three months (LA-PMR). While there has been essentially no data showing that either of these systems leads to improved patient care, they certainly have increased the financial and administrative burden on already overworked physiatrists.

This year, the ABPMR assessed a late fee of $100 for not enrolling in LA-PMR 2022 by December 31, 2021. There was no notification that enrollment was required by this date, unless one clicked through three different screens and happened to stumble upon the "Longitudinal Assessment" page under the "Assessment Dashboard". There was no notification on the "Certification Dashboard".

As physiatrists who are completely beholden to the whims of ABPMR to maintain our board certification, we demand clarity in communication about when payments are due and what the payment is actually for. This information MUST be readily available on the ABPMR home page, not hidden in random and poorly constructed "dashboards".  Physiatrists should also receive at least six weeks notification that a payment is due. 

We also demand that the $100 late fee be waived or refunded. Per their website, the ABPMR purports that it "supports and serves the physicians who have gained or are working to achieve board certification in PM&R.", however their actions speak otherwise.