Letter to the editor: MOC boards are not voluntary

Raj Patel, M.D., in his letter of March 25 (“MOC has little value”) resents, and aptly so, one of the most contemptible issues in the maintenance of certification issue, namely that MOC, despite what its proponents say, is mandatory.

 Although officials of the American Board of Medical Specialties proclaim that the boards are voluntary, they are being dishonest or confused because the boards are being used as credentialing requirements by insurers and hospital staffs.

When the boards were created almost 100 years ago, they were voluntary. If they were mandatory physicians would not have supported them and the boards would not exist today.

Edward Volpintesta, MD

 Bethel, Connecticut