Once a diplomate enrolls in the program, an annual fee will be required. The annual fee reflects the ongoing development of all aspects of the Continuous Certification Program, including diplomate status tracking, public reporting of diplomate status, self-service features like the CME Repository, and the modular assessment process, which requires hundreds of new questions each year with explanations and references, as well as an online delivery platform.
The current annual fee is $285, and covers all general program participation, including one assessment every other year. Diplomates who maintain more than one ABS certificate will pay the $285 annual fee for their first certificate, plus an additional annual fee of $150 for each additional certificate. Fees are assessed at the time of entry into the assessment process for each specialty.
Payments for Continuous Certification Program annual fees must be made online via credit card; checks are not accepted.
In order to continue meeting ABS certification requirements, diplomates must be current with their annual fee payment. If a diplomate does not pay their annual fee in a given year, they will be subject to a late payment fee of $35 in the following year, and they will not be able to register for their next Continuous Certification Assessment until the outstanding balance has been paid.
If a diplomate does not pay their annual fee in the year that they are due to complete an assessment, they will not automatically receive a grace year in the following year and will lose their certification on Dec. 31 in the year on non-payment. They will be listed as “Not Certified” until their outstanding balance has been paid. Following payment of an outstanding balance, the grace year will be reinstated along with a “Certified” certification status.