Diplomates must submit a Professional Standing Update (Application) and Case List in Years 7, 8, or 9 of their 10-year Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Cycle. Please read the Rules and Procedures. For 2024, that’s Diplomates whose ABOS Board Certification expire in 2025, 2026, or 2027.
The Professional Standing Update and Case List must be finalized and the Professional Standing Update Fee must be submitted online by 4 pm ET on December 1, 2024. There is a late deadline of 4 pm ET on December 15, 2024, with an additional $500 late fee. The Professional Standing Update and Case List must be submitted together. Upon completion of the online Professional Standing Update, submit your Professional Standing Update online, and pay the non-refundable Professional Standing Update Fee online with a credit card. After payment successfully goes through, you will be emailed a receipt. You will also receive an email that your Professional Standing Update has been received.
Complete information must be provided for all items. If an item doesn’t apply to you, leave it blank. To access the Professional Standing Update, log in to your ABOS Dashboard, scroll down to Part 4: Evidence of Performance in Practice, and click on Go To Professional Standing Update.
The Professional Standing Update cannot be submitted until your Case List is finalized and the signed Certification Page(s) have been uploaded in .PDF format into your Case List. The Scribe Case List Tool is found on your Diplomate Dashboard by scrolling down to Part 4: Evidence of Performance in Practice, and click on Go To Case List. To view the Case List requirements and how to create your Case List, view this page.
If your Professional Standing Update and required documents are complete when they are submitted online, you will be notified by the ABOS via email AFTER your Professional Standing Update and Case List have been processed (usually 2-3 weeks). If the Professional Standing Update is not complete, you will receive an email asking for you to either enter missing information or to change incorrect information. Provided we have a completed Professional Standing Update, in April 2025, you will be notified that it has been approved/not approved by the Credentials Committee and what your next steps are.
It is your responsibility to notify the ABOS office of any change to your address, email address, practice association, status of hospital privileges, and/or hospital affiliation (including new affiliations you may acquire) that occurs after you have submitted your Professional Standing Update.
Prior to starting the Professional Standing Update, the ABOS recommends having the following items available to save time:
1. Medical License(s)—State/province, number, and original date obtained for all licenses held since most recent Certification or Recertification.
2. List all current hospital/surgery center staff appointments:
- If the hospital/surgery center is already listed and you are still on staff at that facility, please enter the name and email address of the current Chief of Staff, Chief of Surgery, Chief of Orthopaedics and Head of Orthopaedic Nursing associated with that facility. The ABOS uses these names and emails to obtain peer review information required for your approval to sit a Knowledge Assessment in order to recertify. You will also need to upload your most recent reappointment letter showing you still have privileges with that facility.
- Obtain your most recent reappointment letter showing your current appointment dates, type of appointment and that you are in good standing. If the surgery center where you are on staff is affiliated with a hospital health system, you may obtain one letter, but you must list both hospital and surgery center separately on the Professional Standing Update and the letter must list the surgery center affiliation within the letter or letterhead.
If you now have privileges at any facilities not yet listed where you have seen a patient or performed a surgical procedure at this facility since your last certification or recertification, please add those facilities by clicking the “ADD HOSPITAL” button below. You must upload a current dated letter (within this calendar year) showing your original appointment date, type of appointment and that you are in good standing. This cannot be an original or reappointment letter.
- List information for all hospitals/surgery centers where you are currently on the staff, if not already listed above. List all applicable locations, even if under one health system. The required letters below must list all locations. If the surgery center where you are on staff is affiliated with a hospital health system, you may obtain one letter, but you must list both hospital and surgery center separately on the Professional Standing Update and the letter must list the surgery center affiliation within the letter or letterhead.
3. Previous hospital appointments in the last 10 years:
- Obtain a current letter (dated within this calendar year) from each previous hospital/surgery center medical staff office indicating your original appointment date and type and that you left in good standing.
- This letter cannot be an original appointment or reappointment letter.
4. All office practice locations in the last 10 years, beginning with most current practice location first.
- Name and email address of partners for each practice location (12 maximum).
- Do not list yourself if you are in solo practice.
- If your practice partners are retired, or you do not have an email address, etc. do not list them. Each partner must have an email address or else the Professional Standing Update cannot be submitted.
5. Names of five ABOS Diplomates in your geographical practice area not previously listed on this Professional Standing Update who are familiar with your work, and are not in your practice. These can be Diplomates whom you have referred patients to and/or have consulted with on any cases. They will be contacted for Peer Review.
If you cannot meet the 35 operative Case List minimum requirement within the calendar year, you must contact the ABOS office before you begin the Professional Standing Update and Case List process.
