Section 16.19. Continuing medical education

(a) Beginning with the licensure renewal period commencing January 1, 2005, proof of completion of 25 credit hours of continuing medical education in the preceding biennial period will be required for licensure renewal for medical doctors. The 25 credit hours for the January 1, 2005, license renewal period may be completed in either AMA PRA Category 1 or AMA PRA Category 2 activities, and must include 3 hours in patient safety and risk management.

(b) Beginning with the licensure renewal period commencing January 1, 2007, proof of completion of 100 credit hours of continuing medical education in the preceding biennial period will be required for licensure renewal for medical doctors.

(1) At least 20 credit hours shall be completed in AMA PRA category 1 approved activities. At least 12 credit hours shall be completed in AMA PRA Category 1 or AMA PRA Category 2 approved activities in the area of patient safety and risk management. Approved activities in the area of patient safety and risk management may include topics such as improving medical records and recordkeeping, reducing medical errors, professional conduct and ethics, improving communications, preventative medicine and healthcare quality improvement. The remaining credit hours shall be completed in AMA PRA Category 1 or AMA PRA Category 2 approved activities. Credit will not be granted for courses in office management or practice building.

(2) Physicians shall retain official documentation of attendance for 2 years after renewal, and shall certify completed activities on a form provided by the Board for that purpose, to be filed with the biennial renewal form. Official documentation proving completion of continuing medical education activities shall be produced, upon Board demand, under random audits of reported credit hours. Electronic submission of documentation is permissible to prove compliance with this subsection. Noncompliance may result in disciplinary proceedings under section 41(6) of the Medical Practice Act of 1985 (63 P. S. 422.41(6)).

(i) Acceptable documentation for Category 1 activities are:

(A) AMA PRA certificates.

(B) Certificate of completion of a Category 1 activity sponsored by an organization accredited by ACCME or designee of the ACCME.

(C) Certificates from a medical professional society or specialty certification by a member organization of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

(D) Healthcare system credential certification.

(E) Third party payor credentialing certification.

(F) Certification by a CME organization whose standards meet or exceed those established by AMA PRA.

(ii) Acceptable documentation for Category 2 activities are:

(A) Documentation from sources acceptable for Category 1 activities.

(B) Documentation maintained by the physician contemporaneous to the CME activity such as personal log books, diaries, journal notes or applications for credentialing or certification by an organization recognized by the ACCME or designee of the ACCME. The documentation shall identify the activity and the amount of time spent in the activity.

(3) The following exemptions apply for certain physicians:

(i) A physician applying for licensure in this Commonwealth for the first time shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement for the biennial renewal period following initial licensure.

(ii) A physician holding a current temporary training license shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement.

(iii) A retired physician who provides care only to immediate family members shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement.

(iv) A physician who is on inactive status shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement, except that a physician who is seeking to reinstate an inactive or lapsed license shall show proof of compliance with the continuing education requirement for the preceding biennium.

(4) A physician suspended for disciplinary reasons is not exempt from the requirements of this section.

(5) Waiver of the CME requirements may be permitted, as follows:

(i) The Board may grant a hardship waiver of all or a part of the continuing medical education requirement in cases of serious illness, military service or other good cause provided that the public’s safety and welfare will not be jeopardized by the granting of the waiver.

(ii) A request for waiver must be made in writing, with appropriate documentation, and include a description of circumstances sufficient to show why compliance is impossible.

(iii) Waiver requests will be evaluated by the Board on a case-by-case basis. The Board will send written notification of its approval or denial of a waiver request.

The provisions of this § 16.19 adopted August 27, 2004, effective August 28, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 4686.

Notation

Authority

The provisions of this § 16.19 issued under section 910 of the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act (40 P. S. § 1303.910).