Stay on track with your OCC requirements
By Deb Dupnik, CAE, CCSM-A
September 2026
As we approach the end of the year, I want to remind all AOBFP diplomates to review their Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC) requirements and complete any outstanding activities before the Dec. 31 deadline.
Our goal is to make the OCC process straightforward and meaningful while helping you stay current in the practice of family medicine. Please take a few minutes now to review your OCC status and make sure you have completed everything required for your certification.
Component 1: Active Licensure
Do we have your most current medical license(s) on record? Check in the Physician Portal.
Component 2: Lifelong Learning
The three-year (2025-2027) CME cycle ends next year. Do you have the required 120 CME? Did you know that CME tracking services are free for AOA members? See your current status.
Component 3: Annual Longitudinal Assessment
All diplomates are required to complete the annual Longitudinal Assessment (LA) for Component 3. The LA is designed to provide an ongoing opportunity to assess clinical knowledge, reinforce learning and identify areas for professional development.
If you have not yet completed your annual LA, please don’t wait until the end of the year. Completing it early provides time to address any areas that may require additional attention.
Maintaining your OMT certification
For diplomates who wish to maintain their osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) certification, there are additional Component 3 requirements. Once every three years, diplomates must complete one OMT Longitudinal Assessment. Once every nine years, diplomates must complete eight (8) hours of hands-on OMT education or successfully complete the OMT Performance Examination. If maintaining your OMT certification is important to you, please review your OCC record to determine when these requirements are due. Learn more about maintaining your OMT certification.
Component 4: Practice performance assessment
Component 4 requirements have been simplified to make participation easier and more accessible.
Diplomates whose certification expires in 2026: You must have completed four (4) Component 4 learning modules before the end of the year. You can substitute one quality improvement project for one of the modules.
All diplomates: A quality improvement (QI) activity is required every three years for Component 4. AOBFP has introduced a new, simplified process for completing this requirement, making it easier to incorporate quality improvement into your practice without an unnecessarily burdensome process.
If you are due for a QI activity, please take advantage of the simplified process and complete your requirement within your three-year cycle.
Don’t wait until December
The end of the year can arrive quickly, and we want to help you avoid a last-minute scramble to complete your requirements. Please log in to your AOBFP account and review your OCC status now. Identify any outstanding Component 3, OMT or Component 4 requirements and make a plan to complete them before the applicable deadline.
Maintaining certification is more than meeting a requirement, it demonstrates your commitment to lifelong learning, quality improvement and providing the highest level of care to your patients.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the AOBFP, the osteopathic profession and the patients and communities you serve. We appreciate the time and effort you invest in maintaining your certification and advancing the practice of osteopathic family medicine.
Please don’t wait until the end of the year. Check your OCC status today and make sure you are on track to complete all of your requirements.
Need help? Contact AOBFP at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Deb Dupnik, CAE, CCSM-A
Director, American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians