ACCME Guidelines

For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education at http://www.accme.org

State Requirements

State Board of Medicine Contact Information
http://www.fsmb.org/contactlist.html

Delaware Board of Medical Practice: Pursuant to the provisions of 24 Del.C. 1730(d) the Board adopted the following regulation regarding requirements for continuing medical education as a prerequisite for renewal of registrations to practice medicine in the State of Delaware.

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 I courses approved by the American Medical Association or the American Osteopathic Association 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. 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.

This regulation shall be applicable only to renewal of registrations occurring after July 1, 1985. The Board may, upon application from the physician, waive the requirements of the regulation for good cause shown. The Board will consider good cause to have been shown if the lack of compliance with this regulation was due to causes beyond the physician's control.

http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title24/1700.shtml

New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Medical and Mental Health Related Professional Boards: In 2001, the legislature, at the urging of and with the full support of the Board, passed a bill (enacted into law in early 2002), to require continuing medical education as a condition for biennial registration renewal. By regulation (N.J.A.C.13:35-6.15), for the registration cycle that began in 2003, physicians and podiatrists must complete 50 credits of continuing medical education (CME), all of which shall be in Category I or Category II, with at least 20 in Category I.. For registration cycles beginning in 2005 and thereafter, physicians and podiatrists must complete 100 credits of continuing medical education, all of which shall be in Category I or Category II, with at least 40 in Category I. This means those categories of medical education courses recognized by the American Medical Association as credited toward the Physician Recognition Award, and those categories of medical education courses recognized by the American Osteopathic Association, or the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Standards for the CME subject matter and content of courses are developed by the Board, which may also accredit other programs and recognize national or state organizations that accredit education programs. Each hour of an educational course or program shall be equivalent to one credit of continuing medical education. The board may, in its discretion, waive requirements for continuing medical education on an individual basis for reasons of hardship such as illness or disability, retirement of license, or other good cause. A waiver shall apply only to the current biennial renewal period at the time of board issuance.

In developing the continuing education requirement, the Board has consulted with its advisory committee including representatives of the Medical Society of New Jersey, the Academy of Medicine of New Jersey, the New Jersey Osteopathic Association, the New Jersey Podiatric Medical Association and others to provide guidance to the board.

New licensees must successfully complete, within 24 months of becoming licensed, an orientation course, presented or approved by the Board. The Board shall not require a new licensee to complete required continuing medical education credits, other than the orientation course, for any registration period commencing within 12 months of the licensee's participation in and completion of an accredited graduate medical education program.

Credits obtained to satisfy other requirements, such as those anesthesia CME required of physicians with hospital privileges or alternative privileges who perform anesthesia services in an office setting, can satisfy the general CME requirements as well. Those anesthesia requirements can be accessed at: http://www.njconsumeraffairs.com/bme/privilege/altpriv.htm

Credits obtained to satisfy these requirements can satisfy the general CME requirements as well. Those general requirements can be accessed at: www.njconsumeraffairs.com/bme/privilege/altpriv.htm#cme2

http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/bme/education/contedu.htm
 

Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine:   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 publics 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.

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).

Source

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

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter16/s16.19.html