Updated 04/11/2022
Are you up for recertification soon and work in an in-patient setting? The Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) MOC exam might be right for you.
What is the FPHM Exam?
The Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) MOC program is a variation of the Internal Medicine certification. The FPHM MOC program assesses, recognizes and sets standards for the specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes of general internists who focus their practice in an inpatient setting.
It’s not a subspecialty, it’s a variation on your Internal Medicine certification—completion of the FPHM MOC program identifies you as an ABIM Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician with a Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine.
The MOC exam was developed jointly by the ABIM and the ABFM. And, as a result of the blueprint review by ABIM, the MOC exam places less emphasis on rare conditions and focuses more on situations in which physician intervention can have important consequences for patients. For conditions that are usually managed by other specialists, the focus is on recognition rather than on management.
Why Should I Take the FPHM Exam?
If you're doing hospitalist duties and it's time for your recert, you'll want a certification that reflects what you're doing every day and the types of patient cases you're seeing.
Who Can Take The FPHM Exam?
In order to become eligible for the MOC program, you must:
- Have completed your residency training at least three years ago
- Be certified in Internal Medicine
- Hold a valid, unrestricted medical license and confirmation of good standing in the local practice community
Entering the FPHM MOC program requires a few things detailed on the ABIM’s website.
What Are Other Physicians Saying About the FPHM Exam?
Since it was first introduced in 2010, many doctors in the last decade have only taken the FPHM MOC exam once. Many doctors have been excited that the ‘Hospitalist MOC Exam’ exists as a way to accurate depict what they do clinically.
More impressive is the sentiment doctors have about the exam content: the FPHM exam feels clinically relevant to what hospitalists see in their practice. That’s a big step forward for the ABIM and their exam content!
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Cathleen M Ammann, MD on her experience with the FPHM exam
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Darlene Tad-y, MD on her experience with the FPHM exam
What’s the FPHM Exam Experience Like?
The 10-year Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine exam is pass fail and unanswered questions are marked as incorrect.
You’ll get 220 single-best-answer multiple choice questions, of which up to 50 are new questions that do not count in your final score. Most questions describe patient scenarios and ask about the work you do in the course of your practice: diagnosis, testing, treatment/care decisions, risk assessment/prognosis/epidemiology, and pathophysiology/basic science. Clinical information presented may include patient photographs, radiographs, electrocardiograms, and other images that illustrate relevant patient scenarios.
How do I Prepare for the FPHM Exam?
Preview Hospital Medicine Basics on Youtube
To make sure you've covered all the material you need for the FPHM Exam, we recommend you combine one of our comprehensive Internal Medicine reviews like the Internal Medicine Video Board Review or Internal Medicine Core with our Hospital Medicine Basics videos. First, you'll find 64% of your FPHM exam blueprint in the comprehensive resource you choose, then you'll find the other 36% of the knowledge you need in our Hospital Medicine Basics. It includes five videos with two expert speakers who cover the FPHM exam blueprint in three hours! It also includes a 40+ page syllabus and three CME credits and MOC points.
FPHM Exam Pass Rates
Overall, the pass rate for the Hospital Medicine MOC exam (or FPHM exam) is rising. In 2017, 88% of physicians who took the FPHM exam passed. In 2018, 97% of physicians who passed. In 2019, 96% of physicians passed the FPHM exam. 97% passed in 2020, 93% passed in 2021, and 94% passed in 2022.
For the past five years, the pass rate for the FPHM exam has steadily remained in the 88-97% range. Comparatively, 96% of physicians (on average) who take the ABIM MOC Internal Medicine Exam pass, and the number of physicians taking that exam is much higher.
Worth mentioning, 97% of physicians who use MedStudy tools to prepare for their board exams, pass.
How to Maintain Your Hospitalist Designation
To maintain your designation of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (which is currently a 10-year exam), you must have a current certification from the ABFM or ABIM, apply online, and receive a passing score on the FPHM examination.
Now that you know the basics on the FPHM Exam, start studying with the the Internal Medicine Video Board Review and Hospital Medicine Basics videos.
