Accreditation & Recognition
The American Board of Optometry has been awarded the following accreditations and recognitions.
On December 31, 2012, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) granted accreditation to the American Board of Optometry (ABO) board certification program for demonstrating compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (formerly the National Organization for Competency Assurance). The NCCA Standards were created in 1977 and updated in 2003 to ensure certification programs adhere to modern standards of practice for the certification industry. NCCA standards were updated most recently in 2014 for a January 2016 implementation. The ABO joins an elite group of more than 100 organizations representing over 250 programs that have received and maintained NCCA accreditation. More information on the NCCA is available on the organization's website.
This accreditation serves as independent validation that the program meets or exceeds NCCA’s standards regarding purpose, structure, governance, psychometric foundation, policies and procedures. Organizations earning NCCA accreditation demonstrate a high level of commitment to quality and integrity in professional certification. For more information, visit www.credentialingexcellence.org/ncca.
Since 2012, the American Board of Optometry’s Maintenance of Certification program has been fully qualified for participation in CMS payment incentive programs. Programs have ranged from the initial Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) to the current Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). ABO’s MOC program is recognized as “substantially equivalent” to programs developed by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
ABO is also the only board certification program in optometry to be included in CMS’ online Physician Compare search tool. Physician Compare allows the public to access up-to-date information about providers including general information such as practice location and phone numbers as well as detailed information about specialty areas, board certification and performance scores.
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