State CE/CME Requirements for Medical Licensure

25 total hours every 1 year
25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits

Every physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama who resides or practices in the state must earn in each calendar year, on or before December 31, not less than twenty-five (25) AMA PRA Category I Credits™ or equivalent as defined in this rule of continuing medical education. For the purpose of compliance with the continuing medical education (CME) basic requirement stated in paragraph (a) for only the 2010 calendar year, credits earned in the 2009 calendar year which are not used to meet the 2009 calendar year CME requirement may be carried forward and used to meet the 2010 calendar year requirement. Carrying forward credits shall not be allowed thereafter.

Source: Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama

 

50 total hours every 2 years
50 Credits approved by the AMA or AOA

Physicians must complete an average of 25 hours of continuing medical education (CME) during each year of the previous licensing period. Licenses are renewed biennially, so physicians must have earned 50 credit hours during the concluding licensing period in order to qualify for renewal. Courses must be Category 1 of AMA-approved education, or Category 1 or 2 of AOA-approved education.

There is a new legislative requirement for a minimum of two hours of education in pain management and opioid use and addiction (unless you do not hold a valid DEA registration). For license renewals, at least two of the total hours of CME that are required to qualify for renewal must be specific to pain management and opioid use and addiction. Courses must be category 1 of AMA-approved education, or Category 1 or 2 of AOA-approved education. For a podiatrist, it may instead be earned in a continuing medical education program from a provider that is approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME).

To fully document compliance with the opioid education requirement, the title/description of the program on your Certificate of Completion should specifically reference all three areas of the required subject matter: pain management, opioid use, addiction.

Physician assistants must maintain a current active NCCPA certification to qualify for renewal.

Source: The Alaska State Medical Board

40 total hours every 2 years

A physician holding an active license to practice medicine in Arizona shall complete 40 credit hours of the continuing medical education (CME) required by A.R.S. § 32-1434 during the two calendar years preceding biennial registration.

1. The physician shall ensure at least one of the credit hours of continuing medical education is certified as Category 1, as described in subsection (B)(4), and addresses the effective and safe prescribing of opioids;

2. One hour of credit is allowed for each clock hour of participation in continuing medical education activities, unless otherwise designated in subsection (B); and

3. The physician may not carry excess hours of continuing medical education over to another two-year cycle.

Source: Arizona Administrative Code: Continuing Medical Education

20 total hours every 1 year
10 Category 1 Credits in Primary Area of Practice

20 hours per renewal period. Reference Regulation 17 in the Arkansas Medical Practices Acts & Regulations. CME hours must be from birth month of previous year through birth month of current year. Starting January 1, 2013, 50% of CME hours must be Category 1 and in the physician’s primary area of practice. Random audits are performed monthly. If audited, certificates of CME completion are required to be submitted.

Source: Arkansas State Medical Board

50 total hours every 2 years
12 CME hours on Pain Management And Appropriate Treatment of the Terminally Ill (One-time requirement)
10 hours of Geriatric Care are required for General Internists and physicians with 25% or more of patients over the age of 65

Medical Board CME Requirements
Under California law, physicians and surgeons must complete at least 50 hours of approved CME during each biennial renewal cycle.

Required CME on Pain Management and the Appropriate Treatment of the Terminally Ill

Most California-licensed physicians are required to take, as a one-time requirement, 12 hours of CME on pain management and the appropriate care and treatment of the terminally ill. Pathologists and radiologists are exempted from this requirement. The courses or programs must be presented by an organization accredited to provide CME by the ACCME, the AMA, the IMQ/CMA, or the AAFP. In addition to accrediting CME providers, AMA, IMQ/CMA, and AAFP may also present CME programs that will be accepted.

Source: Medical Board of California

Colorado has no continuing education requirements for physicians

For physician assistants:
25 Category 1 CME (PA only; within 12 months of renewal)
100 CME (Any; PA only)

A physician assistant must submit “… proof of 100 hours of continuing medical education within the past two years, including 25 hours of category 1 continuing medical education in the past twelve months …”

Source: Colorado Medical Board Rules and Regulations

50 total hours every 2 years
50 Hours in Area of Practice
1 Credit In Various Subjects (see full description) during first renewal and every 6 years (3rd renewal period) after

Number of Hours
A licensed physician applying for renewal shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of qualifying continuing medical education within the preceding twenty-four month period. One contact hour means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing education activity.

Qualifying CMEs
Continuing medical education shall be in an area of the physician’s practice, reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public and during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the following topics: (A) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, (B) risk management, including, but not limited to, for registration periods beginning on or after October 1, 2015, prescribing controlled substances and pain management, (C) sexual assault, (D) domestic violence, (E) cultural competency, and (F) behavioral health, provided further that on and after January 1, 2016, such behavioral health continuing medical education may include, but not be limited to, at least two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (i) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (ii) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (iii) suicide prevention training.

Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health

40 total hours every 2 years
40 Category 1 Credits (approved by the AMA or AOA)

Prior to renewal of registrations to practice medicine in this State a physician must be prepared to supply the Board with proof that he has completed forty (40) hours per registration period of continuing medical education in Category 1 courses approved by the American Medical Association (AMA) or equivalent courses approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) since the time of the physician’s last renewal of his registration. Individuals enrolled in approved medical or osteopathic resident or fellowship training programs may be requested to submit proof of satisfactory participation in lieu of approved continuing medical education credits. Certification by the Medical Society of Delaware that a physician has completed such continuing medical education since the time of his last renewal of his registration shall be acceptable proof of completion of these requirements.

A physician who is renewing his registration for the first time and who has been licensed to practice medicine in Delaware for more than one year shall be prepared to supply the Board with proof that he has completed twenty hours of continuing medical education in Category I courses approved by the AMA or equivalent courses approved by the AOA. A physician who is renewing his registration for the first time and who has been licensed to practice medicine in Delaware for less than one year shall not be required to meet any continuing medical education requirements until the time of the next subsequent renewal of his registration.

Source: State of Delaware: Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline

MD
40 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA Approved Credits
2 Medical Error (must include information regarding the 5 most mis-diagnosed conditions, in accordance with Rule 64B8-13.005, F.A.C.)
2 Domestic Violence (Every 3rd Renewal Period)
1 First-time renewers must also complete (1) hour of HIV/AIDS

Every physician licensed pursuant to Chapter 458, F.S., shall be required to complete 40 hours of continuing medical education courses approved by the Board in the 24 months preceding each biennial renewal period as established by the Department.

As part of every third biennial renewal licensure period, all licensees shall complete two (2) hours of training in domestic violence.

Upon a licensee’s first renewal of licensure, the licensee must document the completion of one (1) hour of Category I American Medical Association Continuing Medical Education which includes the topics of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Completion of two hours of continuing medical education relating to prevention of medical errors which includes a study of root cause analysis, error reduction and prevention, and patient safety.

The law from the new controlled substance bill requires the completion of a mandatory ce/cme course by January 31, 2019. The controlled substance prescribing course is separate and apart from the licensure renewal requirements under Florida Statutes 456.

First Biennium Renewal: If you are renewing your license for the first time you are exempt from the general continuing medical education requirements and are only required to complete 2 hours of Medical Error and 1 hour of HIV/AIDS.

DO
All first time renewals whose license was issued subsequent to July 1, of the second year of the biennium:
40 total hours every 2 years
20 AOA Category 1-A Credits
40 AMA Approved Credits
1 hour Florida Laws and Rules/Professional and Medical Ethics
2 hours Prevention of Medical Errors
2 On every third biennium renewal, 2 hours on Domestic Violence

All first time renewals whose license was issued prior to July 1, of the second year of the biennium:
40 total hours every 2 years
20 AOA Category 1-A Credits
40 AMA Approved Credits
1 hour Florida Laws and Rules/Professional and Medical Ethics
2 hours Prevention of Medical Errors
2 hours Prescribing Controlled Substances (This requirement applies only to licensees registered with the DEA and authorized to prescribe controlled substances)
1 hour of HIV/AIDS
2 On every third biennium renewal, 2 hours on Domestic Violence

Requirements for subsequent renewals:
40 total hours every 2 years
20 AOA Category 1-A Credits
40 AMA Approved Credits
1 hour Florida Laws and Rules/Professional and Medical Ethics
2 hours Prevention of Medical Errors
2 hours Prescribing Controlled Substances (This requirement applies only to licensees registered with the DEA and authorized to prescribe controlled substances)
2 Every third biennium renewal, 2 hours on Domestic Violence

You may only complete 8 total home-study hours to satisfy renewal requirements

No more than 6 hours of CME credit can be used per biennium for attendance at a board meeting.

The law from the new controlled substance bill requires the completion of a mandatory ce/cme course by January 31, 2019. The controlled substance prescribing course is separate and apart from the licensure renewal requirements under Florida Statutes 456.

(1)(a) Every person licensed pursuant to chapter 459, F.S., except those licensed as physician assistants pursuant to section 459.022, F.S., shall be required to complete forty (40) hours of continuing medical education courses approved by the Board in the twenty-four (24) months preceding each biennial renewal period as established by the Department.
(b) A licensee shall not be required to complete continuing medical education if the initial license is issued subsequent to July 1 of the second year of the biennium, except as found in paragraph 64B15-13.001(1)(a), F.A.C.
(c) A licensee shall complete a two (2) hour Domestic Violence Course as part of every third biennial renewal of licensure.
(d) A licensee shall complete a one (1) hour HIV/AIDS course no later than upon first biennial renewal of licensure.

(2) At least twenty (20) of the forty (40) hours of the continuing medical education required under this rule shall be American Osteopathic Association approved Category I-A continuing education related to the practice of osteopathic medicine or under osteopathic auspices.

Source: Florida Board of Medicine

40 total hours every 2 years
40 CME (any)

Georgia physicians are required to complete twenty hours per year of Continuing Medical Education (CME) Units, or 40 hours over the two year validation period of the license.

“Effective January 1, 2018, every physician not subject to Rule 360-15-.01(3) who maintains an active DEA certificate and prescribes controlled substances, except those holding a residency training permit, shall complete at least one time three or more hours of AMA/AOA PRA Category 1 CME that is designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices. The controlled substance prescribing CME shall include instruction on controlled substance prescribing guidelines, recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances, and controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management. Any controlled substances prescribing guidelines coursework taken within two years of [the physician’s] last renewal will count toward this requirement. Completion of this requirement may count as three hours toward the CME requirement for license renewal.”

Source: Georgia Medical Board 

40 total hours every 2 years
40 Category 1 or 1-A
20 Category 1 or 1-A

40 category 1 or 1A CME hours if you initially received your license in Hawaii prior to 2/1/16; or

20 category 1 or 1A CME hours if you initially received your license in Hawaii between 2/1/16 – 1/31/17. Only 20 hours are required for the initial renewal. Beginning with the 2020 renewal and thereafter, 40 hours will be required.

Source: Hawaii Medical Board Physician

40 total hours every 2 years
40 Category 1 CME (Practice Relevant)

The purpose of practice relevant CME is to enhance competence, performance, understanding of current standards of care, and patient outcomes. Each person licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine or surgery in Idaho is required to complete no less than 40 hours of practice relevant, Category 1, CME every two (2) years.

Source: Idaho Board of Medicine: Continuing Medical Education (CME)

150 total hours every 3 years
60 Category 1 CME

A prerenewal period is the 36 months preceding July 31 in the year of the renewal.

Any licensee seeking renewal of a license without having complied with the CME requirements must file with the Division a renewal application, required fee and a written statement setting forth the facts concerning non-compliance and a request for waiver of the CME requirements on the basis of these facts. There is no retired or emeritus status for physicians in Illinois. If a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches continues to write prescriptions after retiring from active practice, it is necessary to retain a full, unrestricted license and complete all required CME for renewal of the physician license. If the Division, upon written recommendation of the Medical Licensing Board, determines that extreme hardship has been

Source: Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation

0 total hours every year
0 CME

The Medical Licensing Board of Indiana does not require any CME hours.

Indiana Professional Licensing Agency

40 total hours every 2 years
40 Category 1 Credits
2 Category 1 Credits of Chronic Pain Management, Every 5 Years, for Primary Care Physicians
2 Category 1 Credits of End-Of-Life Care, Every 5 Years, for Primary Care Physicians

The Iowa Board of Medicine requires 40 Category 1 CME hours over a 2 year renewal period. If more than 40 hours are accumulated, up to 20 may be carried over. The number of required Category 1 credits is pro-rated for anyone who holds a permanent or administrative medicine license that was issued for fewer than two full years.

Physicians who provide primary care to patients are additionally required to complete 2 hours of Category 1 activities for chronic pain management and 2 hours of Category 1 activities for end-of-life care every five years.

Source: Iowa Board of Medicine

50 total hours every 1 year
20 Category 1 Credits

The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts required 50 hours with a minimum of 20 hours of Category I and a maximum of 30 hours of Category II.

Source: Kansas State Board of Healing Arts

60 total hours every 3 years
30 AMA or AOA Approved Category 1 Credits

In accordance with Board regulation 201 KAR 9:310, as of January 1, 1994, all physicians who maintain an active Kentucky medical or osteopathic license are required to complete 60 hours of CME every three years, with 30 hours being certified in AMA or AOA Category 1 by an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education or the AOA Council on Continuing Medical Education. The remaining hours may be in Category I or Category II hours. State specific CME hours are defined below:

• HB 1 (passed in 2012) requires a minimum of 4.5 hours required for physicians who are authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Kentucky. This CME is required every three year (3) CME cycle period. 

• HB 157 (passed on 2014) requires pediatricians, radiologists, family practitioners, and emergency medicine and urgent care physicians to complete 1 hour of training on this subject that is approved by the Board prior to December 31, 2017. Information can be found on this page under the Approved Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma CME above.

• Primary care physicians, who are granted licensure after July 1, 1996, are required to successfully complete a 3 hour domestic violence training course within 3 years of the date of initial licensure. Click here for more information.

• As of June 24, 2015, the HIV/AIDS education CME is no longer required.

Source: Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure 

20 total hours every 1 year
20 Category 1 CME

20 Contact Hours of Category 1 CME must be obtained annually. Regardless of birth month hours must be obtained from January- December in the year prior to renewal. Licenses must be renewed annually.

Source:

The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners

MD
100 total hours every 2 years
40 Category 1 Credits

To successfully renew a license in active status, MD and PA applicants must have completed the following Continuing Medical Education (CME) during the preceding licensure period:

A minimum of 40 hours in Category 1. Physicians must complete 3 hours of Category 1 credit CME every two years on the prescribing of opioid medication as required by Board Rule Chapter 21 “Use of Controlled Substances for Treatment of Pain.” All applicants must attest that they have completed the necessary CME on their renewal applications.

DO
100 total hours every 2 years
40 Osteopathy-related Activity Credits

Each licensee applying for the renewal of the osteopathic physician’s license shall furnish to the board satisfactory evidence that the osteopathic physician has attended in the 2 preceding years at least 100 hours of educational programs devoted to continuing medical education approved by the board. The required education must be obtained from formalized programs of continuing medical education sponsored by recognized associations, colleges or universities, hospitals, institutes or groups approved by the board. A copy of the current approved list must be available in the office of the secretary-treasurer of the board. At least 40% of these credit hours must be osteopathic medical education approved in the rules established by the board.

Source: Maine Board Licensure of Medicine

50 total hours every 2 years
50 Category 1 Credits

Physicians applying for renewal of the license must earn at least 50 Category 1 CME credits in the two-year period preceding the license expiration date. Physicians should not send CME documents to the Board unless selected for audit.

Maryland Board of Physicians

100 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA or AAPA Category 1 Credits

To renew your physician assistant license, you must attest, under penalty of perjury, to comply with board laws and regulations, as defined in 263 CMR 3.05 including completion of 100 contact hours with a minimum of 40 in Category 1 of continuing education for the current registration period.

Source: Massachusetts Medical Society

150 total hours every 3 years
75 Category 1 CME
1 Medical Ethics CME
3 Pain and Symptom Management CME

The continuing education requirements apply to every physician renewing a Michigan medical license who has been licensed in the 3-year period immediately preceding the application for renewal. The requirements apply whether or not the physician is actively engaged in the practice of medicine. No one, including medical school faculty and resident physicians, is exempt from this requirement.

Each medical doctor is required to complete 150 hours of continuing education in courses or programs approved by the board of which a minimum 75 hours of the required 150 hours must be earned in courses or programs designated as Category 1 programs. A minimum of 1 hour of continuing education must be earned in the area of medical ethics. A minimum of 3 hours of continuing education must be earned in the area of pain and symptom management

Source Michigan.gov

75 total hours every 3 years
75 Category 1 CME

Each licensed physician must obtain 75 hours of continuing medical education (CME) category 1 credit every three years as a condition of licensure renewal. The Board accepts (re)certification or current Maintenance of Competency issued by ABMS, RCPSC or AOA in lieu of CME. Newly licensed physicians commence their three year cycle on their birth month following the initial date of licensure. Physicians under Emeritus registration and licensees in full-time residency or fellowship training at a professionally accredited facility are exempt from the continuing medical education requirement. Licenses must be completed every two years.

Source: Minnesota Health Licensing Boards

40 total hours every 2 years
40 Category 1 Credits

The Mississippi State Board of Medicine requires 40 Category 1 CME hours every 2 years. Licenses must be completed every two years.

Source: Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure

50 total hours every 2 years
50 AOA Category 1-A or 2-A, AMA Category 1, or AAFP prescribed Credits

50 hours of CME must be completed every two years. The board shall not issue a renewal of a licensee’s certificate of registration unless the licensee demonstrates completion of fifty hours of continuing medical education accredited by the AOA as Category 1-A or 2-a, by the AMA as Category I or by the American Academy of Family Practice Prescribed Credit, in the two immediately preceding reporting periods.

Licenses must be renewed every two years. The period for completion of the continuing medical education requirements shall be the 24-month period beginning January 1 of each even-numbered year and ending December 31 of each odd-numbered year.

Source: Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts

0 total hours every year
0 CME

The Montana Board of Medical Examiners does not require any CME hours.

Montana Department of Labor & Industry

50 total hours every 2 years
50 AMA Category 1 Credits

To renew a license you must have earned 50 hours of Category 1 AMA approved continuing education.

Source: Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services

40 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA Category 1 Credits
2 Medical Ethics, Pain Management, or Addiction Care
20 Physician's Primary Area of Practice
18 Other Medical Education

All CMEs must be AMA Category 1, classified by the AAPA as Category 1 (for PAs), or NSBME Board approved.

Source: Annual State CME Requirements for New Hampshire

100 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA PRA or ACCME Category 1 Credits

3 Opioid CME (Physicians with NDE-DEA License)

The credits fall into two groups; Category 1 and 2. The state requires 100 credits over the two-year period: 40 credits must be Category 1 and the remaining 60 can be either Category 1 or Category 2. We have limited storage space so it is not necessary to mail us more than the minimum.

Category 1 includes credits that you attend classes or take tests to obtain. Whatever the process, you will receive a certificate stating the number of approved Category 1 credits, the institution that provided the credits and a date. Copies of these certificates must be submitted for credit to be approved. Physicians should keep original CME certificates for a minimum of six (6) years.

Category 2 includes self-learning experiences, such as journal reading, use of audiovisual educational materials, seminars that do not qualify for Category 1, teaching or book or paper writing. These can be listed on page three of the reporting form.

There are some equivalents such as receiving a PRA or long-term board certificate.  Annual recertification (MOC) with a specific number of credits may be used for Category 1 credits as designated. Licensees who show proof of being up to date on a program of maintenance of certification shall be considered to have completed their CME requirement for the preceding two years, aside from the opioid CME requirement for those physicians with a DEA license.

Accredited residency/fellowship programs qualify for 50 Category 1 credits per year. Please bear in mind that the CME reporting is a calendar-year cycle, so it frequently does not line up with the school year cycle of residency/fellowship programs, and supplementation may be needed. Residents/fellows who are required to register with the NH PDMP must also complete the 3-credit opioid related CME requirement.

Physicians with a NH-DEA license need to include 3 hours in the area of pain management and addiction disorder or a combination thereof, as part of their 100 credits, pursuant to RSA: 318-B:40. A list of suggested courses may be found at http://www.nhms.org/opioidcme, but any Category 1 accredited course on the appropriate subject matter will qualify.

Source: New Hampshire Medical Society

100 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA Category 1 Credits

Licensed physicians are required by law to earn credits in continuing medical education in order to maintain their medical licenses. For license renewal, physicians must complete 100 credits of continuing medical education (CME) during each renewal period, forty (40) of which must be Category 1 Credit, the remaining sixty (60) can be Category 1 Credit or 2. MSNJ can help members sort through the regulatory requirements.

Two (2) of the required Category 1 Credits need to be in End-of-Life-Care.

One (1) of the required Category 1 Credits needs to be in topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including responsible prescribing practices, alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction and diversion

Source: Medical Society of New Jersey.

75 total hours every 3 years
75 CME (Any)

Seventy-five hours of continuing medical education are required for each licensed physician during each triennial renewal cycle. CME may be earned at any time during the licensees three year renewal period, July 1 through June 30, immediately preceding the triennial renewal date.

Source: New Mexico Medical Board

3 total hours every 3 years

Attention New York Physicians: In response to the evolving situation with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and for those licensees whose registrations are due to renew March 1-June 1, 2020, the Department will grant an adjustment to all licensees to complete up to 100% of the continuing education as self-study, so long as it is taken from a Department-approved provider and is in an acceptable subject area for the specific profession. For more information, please visit http://www.op.nysed.gov/COVID-19.html#COED.

MDs and DOs are required to complete course work or training in infection control at initial licensure and every four years thereafter. In addition, licensees must complete a one-time requirement of 2 hours in . child abuse identification and reporting

Licensees authorized to prescribe controlled substances are required to complete at least 3 hours in pain management, palliative care, and addiction by July 1, 2017, and every three years thereafter.

Source: NY Office or Professions

60 total hours every 3 years
60 Category 1 Credits in Area of Practice
3 Controlled Substances

Each person licensed to practice medicine in the State of North Carolina, except those holding a residency training license, shall complete at least 60 hours of Category 1 CME relevant to the physician's current or intended specialty or area of practice every three years.

Beginning on July 1, 2017, every physician who prescribes controlled substances, except those holding a residency training license, shall complete at least three hours of CME, from the required 60 hours of Category 1 CME, that is designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices. The controlled substance prescribing CME shall include instruction on controlled substance prescribing practices, recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances, and controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management.

Source: North Carolina Medical Board

60 total hours every 3 years
60 Category 1 Credits

Physicians are required by North Dakota law to complete 60 AMA Category 1 hours of continuing medical education every three years.

Every third year, each licensed physician, at the time of the annual license renewal, is required to certify compliance with the CME requirements. The board does not require all renewing physicians to submit documentation of these hours. Rather, each year the board audits a percentage of renewing physicians, who are then notified and required to submit proof of compliance with the CME requirement.

Beginning with the license renewals for 2013, each physician's license will expire on his or her birthdate. Their birthdate will then become their annual renewal date.  Every third year, following 2013, each physician will be asked to certify compliance with the 60 hour CME requirement.  Therefore, physicians will be asked when they renew their license in 2016 to certify they have completed 60 hours of CME since their renewal date (birthdate) in 2013.

Source: North Dakota Board of Medicine

50 total hours every 1 years
50 Category 1 Credits

As part of this year’s state budget legislation that passed in mid-July, several changes were made to physician licensure laws enforced by the State Medical Board of Ohio.

The most notable change was to the number of continuing education (CME) hours required to be completed every two years to be eligible for license renewal. While the previous requirement was 40 hours of Category 1, and 60 hours of Category 2, the new requirement strikes out Category 2 entirely and in exchange, bumps the Category 1 criterion up to 50 hours.

This new 50-hour requirement also applies to the 3-year renewal period of clinical research faculty physicians. Provisions in this section also limit the number of hours of CME a physician or podiatrist may earn through provision of health care services as a volunteer to 3 hours.

The State Medical Board of Ohio released the following guidance this month to clarify the new law.

Source: Ohio State Medical Association

60 total hours every 3 years
60 AMA Category 1 Credits

• Each applicant for re-registration (renewal) of licensure shall certify every three years
  that he/she has completed the requisite hours of continuing medical education (C.M.E.).
• Requisite hours of C.M.E. shall be sixty (60) hours of Category I obtained during the
  preceding three (3) years as defined by the American Medical Association/Oklahoma State
  Medical Association/American Academy of Family Physicians or other certifying
  organization recognized by the Board.
• Newly licensed physicians will be required to begin reporting three years from the date
  licensure was granted.

Source:
Oklahoma Medical Board

60 total hours every 2 years
60 AMA, AOA, APMA or AAPA Category 1 Credits
6 Pain Management And/Or Treatment of the Terminally Ill

60 hours of continuing medical education (CME) per two years relevant to the licensee’s current medical practice, or 30 hours of CME if licensed during the second year of the biennium. Any six hours of CME AMA PRA Category I on pain management or end-of-life care are required as well. Licenses must be renewed every two years.

Oregon Medical Board

100 total hours every 2 years
20 AMA PRA Category 1
12 Patient Safety and/or Risk Management
2 Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting

Approved activities in the area of patient safety and risk management may include the following topics:

• Improving medical records and recordkeeping
• Professional conduct and ethics
• Improving communications
• Preventative medicine
• Healthcare quality improvement

DO

100 total hours every 2 years
20 AOA Category 1-A
12 Category 1 or Category 2 on Patient Safety and/or Risk Management

In order to renew a license, completion of 100 credit hours of continuing medical education in the preceding biennial period, which runs from November 1 of an even year through October 31 of the next even year, will be required for osteopathic physicians.

Source: Pennsylvania Department of State

40 total hours every 2 years
4 Public Health Needs CME
40 AMA Category 1 CME or AOA Category 1-A CME

Physicians are required to document to the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline that they have earned a minimum of forty (40) hours of American Medical Association, Physician Recognition Award or American Osteopathic Association (AOA Category 1a) continuing medical education credits.

CMEs on Public Health Topics

Effective August 1, 2019, every physician has to complete one hour (per career) of CME training regarding Alzheimer’s disease.MORE

At least 4 hours of continuing medical education shall be earned on topics of current concern as determined by the director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Current topics include: Ethics, Risk Management, Opioid pain management / chronic pain management, End of life / palliative care, Antimicrobial Stewardship.

Source: Rhode Island Department of State

40 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA or AOA Category 1 CME
2 Approved Procedures of Prescribing and Monitoring Controlled Substances
30 Practice-Relevant CME

For renewal of an active permanent license biennially, the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners requires 40 AMA, AOA, or other board-approved organization Category 1 hours. Of these hours, a minimum of 30 must be on a subject directly related to the licensee’s practice area, and a minimum of 2 hours must be on the subject of approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances.

Source: South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners

0 total hours every 2 years
0 CME (Any)

The South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners does not require any CME hours.

Source: South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners

MD
40 total hours every 2 years
40 AMA Category 1 Credits
2 Controlled Substance Prescribing

40 Hours of continuing medical education courses must be completed during the two calendar years (January 1 – December 31) that precede the licensure renewal year. At least two of the forty required hours shall be a course designed specifically to address prescribing practices (controlled substances). AMA PRA Category I courses acceptable.

DO
40 total hours every 2 years
2 Substance Prescribing (DEA registrants only)
2 Prescribing Practices (Non DEA registrants only).
40 CME (Any).

If you are a prescriber with a DEA registration, at least 2 of those hours must relate to controlled substance prescribing, which must include instruction in the Department’s treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and carisoprodol and may include instruction on topics such as medicine addiction, risk management tools and other topics approved by the Board.

If you do not have a DEA registration, at least 2 of the required hours must be in a course or courses designated specifically to address prescribing practices. These 2 hours requirements are not necessary for doctors certified by the ABMS, AOA, or the American Board of Physician Specialties in one or more of the following specialties: pain management, anesthesiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, and rheumatology.

Source:

Texas Medical Board CME Requirements
48 total hours every 2 years
2 Medical Ethics and/or Professional Responsibility
24 AMA, AOA and/or AAFP Category 1 Credits
24 Informal Hours

The Texas Medical Board requires physicians to complete at least 48 credits of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every 24 months (24 month timeline is in relation to the biennial registration period, not the calendar year). At least half of these hours must be in formal, category 1 or 1A courses. A TX physician must report during registration if she, he, or they have completed the required CME. However, newly licensed physicians are exempt from the CME requirement the first time they register.

Source: Texas Medical Board

48 total hours every 2 years
2 Medical Ethics and/or Professional Responsibility
24 AMA, AOA and/or AAFP Category 1 Credits
24 Informal Hours

The Texas Medical Board requires physicians to complete at least 48 credits of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every 24 months (24 month timeline is in relation to the biennial registration period, not the calendar year). At least half of these hours must be in formal, category 1 or 1A courses. A TX physician must report during registration if she, he, or they have completed the required CME. However, newly licensed physicians are exempt from the CME requirement the first time they register.

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Texas Medical Board

40 total hours every 2 years
34 Category 1 Credits
4 Substance Prescribing (Controlled Substance Licensees Only)

The qualified continuing professional education requirements shall consist of 40 hours during each two-year licensure cycle:
(a) A minimum of 34 of the required hours shall be in category 1 offerings as established by the ACCME.
(b) A maximum of six hours of continuing education may come from the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
(c) Up to 15% of the required hours may come from providing volunteer health care services within the scope of the licensee’s license at a qualified location, in accordance with Section 58-13-3 concerning charity health care. One hour of continuing education credit may be earned for every four documented hours of volunteer services.
(d) Participation in a residency program approved by the AOA or the ACCME shall meet the continuing education requirement in a pro-rata amount equal to any part of the two-year period.

Source: Utah Office of Administrative Rules

MD
30 total hours every 2 years
30 AMA PRA Category 1
1 Hospice, Palliative Care, or Pain Management
2 Safe and Effective Prescribing of Controlled Substances (Only physicians that prescribe substances)

The Vermont Board of Medical Practice’s rules implementing the law require physicians to take 30 hours of AMA Physicians Recognition Award Category 1 Credit (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™) during the period December 1 – November 30 each two-year licensing period (e.g. Dec. 1, 2014- Nov. 30, 2016; Dec. 1, 2016-Nov. 30, 2018). There are some exceptions to the 30-hour requirement for new licensees and active or deployed members of the military – see the Board rules for details. Physicians must certify to the Board that the required hours have been completed over the past two years when submitting their renewal application. Physicians are not required to submit verification to the Board of CME courses completed, but must retain documentation of the courses for four years from the time the physician certifies the courses have been completed. The CME chosen should be designed to ensure that the licensee has updated his or her knowledge in his own field and kept abreast of advances in other fields for which patient referrals may be appropriate.

Of the 30 hours, the Board’s rules also require physician to take two content-specific CME courses: 1 hour addressing palliative care, hospice care OR pain management AND 1 hour addressing prescribing controlled substances for physicians with DEA registrations. These two subject-specific activities count toward the 30-hour requirement. Due to the passage of Act 173, beginning with license renewals due Nov. 2018, all physicians with a DEA number, pending application for a DEA number, or who dispense controlled substances will be required to show they have completed a total of at least 2 hours over the course of the previous 2-year licensing cycle – rather than the current one hour – of continuing education on the topic of prescribing controlled substances. Physicians can request that the VBMP pre-approve courses as satisfying the content-specific requirements if they wish, but pre-approval is not required.

Source: Vermont Medical Society

60 total hours every 2 years
30 Category 1 Credits
2 Controlled Substances

In order to renew an active license biennially, the practitioner must complete the Continued Competency Activity and Assessment Form, which is provided by the Board and must indicate completion of at least 60 hours of continuing learning activities.

30 hours shall be Type 1 continuing learning activities as documented by an accredited sponsor or organization sanctioned by the profession to designate learning activities for credit or other value. Remaining hours may be gained through self-study or other Type I activities.

The Board also requires at least 2 hours of Controlled Substances CME that may be part of the Category 1 requirement.

Source: Virginia Department of Health Professions

200 total hours every 4 years
Maximum of 80 Category 2 Credits
Maximum of 80 Category 3 Credits
Maximum of 80 Category 4 Credits
Maximum of 80 Category 5 Credits
Maximum of 80 Category 6 Credits

Licensed physicians must complete two hundred hours of continuing education every four years as required in chapter 246-12 WAC, Part 7. In lieu of the two hundred hours of continuing medical education, the commission will accept a current Physician's Recognition Award from the American Medical Association or a current certificate from any specialty board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) which is considered by the specialty board as equivalent to the two hundred hours of continuing medical education required under WAC 246-919-430(1). The commission will also accept certification or recertification by a specialty board as the equivalent of two hundred hours of continuing medical education. A list of the approved specialty boards are designated in the 1995 Official American Boards of Medical Specialty Director of Board Certified Medical Specialist and will be maintained by the commission. The list shall be made available upon request. The certification or recertification must be obtained in the four years preceding application for renewal.

Source: Washington State Department of Health

50 total hours every 2 years
50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits
3 HIV/AIDS credits
2 LGBTQ cultural competency credits
1 Pharmacology Credits

Physicians (MD/DO) – Fifty (50) hours of CE every two (2) years, which includes three (3) hours in the subject of HIV/AIDS, two (2) hours in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency, and at least one (1) course in the subject of pharmacology.

Source: District of Columbia Board of Medicine

50 total hours every 2 years
50 Category 1 Credits
3 Best Practices Prescribing of Controlled Substances and Drug Diversion Training
30 Hours in Area of Specialty

Complete 50 hours of CME which is designated as Category I by the AMA or AAFP during the reporting period. 

30 hours of CME must be in the physician’s area or areas of specialty.  

Physicians may count up to 20 hours of medical student teaching/preceptorship in the 50-hour total.

The 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME can be used for 3 of the 50 CME hours.

Source: West Virginia Board of Medicine

30 total hours every 2 years
30 AMA, AOA, and/or ACCME Category 1 Credits

CME Change for Upcoming Renewals: For the next two renewals for both MD and DO physicians, each license holder will be required to take two of the required 30 hours via a Board-approved course on responsible opioid prescription. Physicians who do not hold a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration number to prescribe controlled substances are exempted under the rules.

Source: State of Wisconsin Medical Examining Board

60 total hours every 3 years
60 AMA Category 1 or 2 Credits, AOA Credits, or SA Activities

To renew, reinstate or reactivate a license to practice medicine in Wyoming a physician shall verify satisfactory completion of not less than sixty (60) hours of continuing medical education (CME) earned in any combination of the following during the previous three (3) years: AMA-approved Category 1 or Category 2 credits, AOA credits, and verifiable self-assessment activities.

Source: Wyoming Board of Medicine