Requirements

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5-Year Milestone:
Certificates Expiring 2026–2028

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Policies

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Policy Change for Renewing
a Lapsed or Expired Certificate

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2026 Application Details

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2026 Continuing Certification
Booklet of Information
Coming Soon

Continuing Certification 
(formerly known as Maintenance of Certification)

In order to meet the new Continuing Certification Standards required of all member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Board of Thoracic Surgery replaced its Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process with Continuing Certification starting in January 2024. Continuing Certification is intended to give the public assurance that certified specialty physicians are maintaining high standards of clinical care throughout their career. For that reason, the Board requires that all Diplomates, including those who hold life-time and time-limited certificates, participate in Continuing Certification. The only exception is for those Diplomates who have notified the Board of their retirement or disability.

What happens to my MOC Certificate?

The ABTS Maintenance of Certification certificates are valid until the date listed on the certificate. In order to earn a new certificate, Diplomates must complete the Continuing Certification process every 5 years. New non time-limited certificates will be issued after the MOC certificates expires to Diplomates who successfully maintain their certificates under the new Continuing Certification process.

What is the difference between Continuing Certification and MOC?

The ABTS Continuing Certification process consists of the issuance of non-time limited certificates with a Milestone that needs to be successfully completed every 5 years to maintain certification, instead of every 10 years under the former MOC process. All Diplomates are automatically enrolled in the Continuing Certification process upon initial certification or upon the expiration of their existing time-limited certificates.

Every five years, Diplomates are expected to take and pass a secure, online exam in the area of their specialty (Adult Cardiac, Cardiothoracic, Congenital Cardiac, and General Thoracic). Diplomates will no longer have to complete SESATS as part of Continuing Certification. Failure to complete the Milestone every five years will result in not being eligible to renew your certification. This applies to both life-time and time-limited certificate holders. Diplomates can take the Milestone in their fourth or fifth year. The Board will consider granting Diplomates a one-year grace period for extenuating circumstances to complete the Milestone in the sixth year on a case-by-case basis. For Diplomates who still hold a 10-year certification, this would mean you can complete the Milestone in years 9 and 10.

*For individuals who hold certificates that expire in 2030, but who did not complete the Continuing Certification 5-year Milestone in 2025, can request a one-year extension to complete the Continuing Certification Milestone in 2026. Requests must be submitted in writing via email to continuingcert@abts.org. Credentials Committee approval is required.

If you earn a new initial certificate in June 2026, you will need to complete the 5-year Continuing Certification Milestone in 2030 or 2031.

2026 Dates

Application Opening Date:
Former 10-Year MOC: March 2026
5-Year Milestone: July 2026

Continuing Certification Exam:
September - December 2026
News

ABTS is pleased to announce that format of the Continuing Certification Written Exam has been updated in an effort to improve content coverage and validity, and reduce cognitive load. Beginning in 2025, ABTS’s written exams will include multiple choice questions with three answer options, down from four answer options in previous written exams. ABTS written exams will continue to assess a surgeon’s knowledge of clinical knowledge and surgical skills, and evaluate their competency to ensure they meet standards for safe and effective patient care.

Policy Change for Renewing a Lapsed or Expired Certificate
Starting on January 1, 2026, Diplomates whose certification lapsed or expired and who seek to regain Board certification will be required to fulfill the list of requirements found here.

Continuing Certification Process: CME Credit Now Available
ABTS is pleased to announce that Diplomates who successfully complete the Continuing Certification (CC) process will be awarded 60 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM at the conclusion of their Continuing Certification cycle. Diplomates do not have to individually apply for the credit, and ABTS will cover the expense of electronic CME certificates. Upon successful completion of the CC process, Diplomates will be sent an email to the preferred email on file with the ABTS with a link to download their CME certificate from the AMA Ed Hub. Visit the ABTS Web Portal to confirm your contact information is up to date. This new opportunity is available only to Diplomates who successfully earned a non time-limited certificate and successfully completed the 5-Year Milestone.

CME Finder
Diplomates can now search for thoracic surgery specific CMEs on the ACCME website at: findit.cmepassport.org/ABTS.