The acquisition adds a powerful continuous assessment platform to Heuristics’ existing credentialing management portfolio.
ARLINGTON, Va.– Heuristic Solutions, a certification, licensure, and accreditation management software company, has acquired aimeQED, a longitudinal assessment platform built by the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA). The platform helps credentialing boards measure ongoing professional competence through short, frequent assessments rather than a single high-stakes examination.
The aimeQED platform has a proven foundation: In response to physician feedback, the ABA designed and launched the MOCA Minute® in 2016 to offer a more meaningful, flexible, and clinically relevant approach to assessment than a single high-stakes examination every 10 years. As interest in a similar longitudinal assessment grew beyond anesthesiology, the ABA developed aimeQED so other certifying organizations could adopt the same frequent, low-burden, standards-based assessment method.
To focus on its primary function as a certifying body rather than a software vendor, the ABA approached Heuristic Solutions as a long-term home for aimeQED. To ensure a seamless handover for both clients and practitioners, the ABA and Heuristic Solutions have agreed on a clearly defined transition period during which the ABA will actively support knowledge transfer, technical integration, and operational continuity. Current aimeQED clients will continue to use the platform without interruption.
“For over 15 years, we have helped certification boards answer an enduring question: How do you know the people who hold a certification remain competent to practice over the course of their professional lives? aimeQED provides a powerful answer. It moves boards from a single high-stakes exam toward a continuing competence model, and it gives practitioners clear, immediate, and actionable feedback. We are proud to carry this platform forward, and we are committed to the boards and practitioners who depend on it,” said Ali Neal, Chief Executive Officer of Heuristic Solutions.
The previous model of a high-stakes recertification exam taken every 10 years is costly for boards to administer and requires practitioners to prepare intensively for a single event. Longitudinal assessment offers an ongoing picture of competence, using spaced repetition to strengthen retention and evaluate a user’s knowledge in real time.
aimeQED delivers this through:
- Short, frequent question sets to be answered on the web and on mobile devices for both iOS and Android, in place of one periodic exam.
- Immediate feedback and rationale after every question, supporting both learning and assessment.
- A double-sided design for boards to set up programs, manage practitioner rosters, and monitor progress toward renewal, while practitioners can track their own progress toward demonstrated mastery.
- Scoring grounded in Measurement Decision Theory (MDT), which weighs patterns of performance across many assessments rather than a single result, supporting defensible, criterion-referenced decisions. aimeQED has applied and refined its use of MDT in live certification programs since 2016.
- A multi-tenant, software-as-a-service (SaaS) architecture that can serve many boards from one platform.
About Heuristic Solutions
Heuristic Solutions builds credentialing management and continuing competence software for organizations that certify and assess professionals. Since 2009, it has supported over 60 boards and associations with its flagship LearningBuilder software, using low-code configuration to manage a diverse range of certification, licensure, and accreditation processes. By acquiring aimeQED, Heuristic Solutions now offers a dedicated longitudinal assessment platform alongside LearningBuilder.
About aimeQED
aimeQED is an interactive longitudinal assessment tool that supports lifelong learning and engagement and can be used in any industry that requires demonstrating continuing competence through assessment. aimeQED allows organizations to evaluate a user’s knowledge base in real time via a digital platform. Longitudinal assessment encourages ongoing learning and development through spaced repetition and brief assessments, increasing understanding and retention.
About the American Board of Anesthesiology
Since 1938, the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) has defined practice standards that instill confidence in the knowledge and skills of board-certified anesthesiologists to provide high-quality patient care. The ABA was among the first boards to establish standards for their field, joining with other boards, such as the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, to lead the creation of a comprehensive pain medicine subspecialty examination.
Contact
Ali Neal, Principal
Heuristic Solutions
aneal@heuristics.net
