Pennsylvania Code › Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS › Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS › Chapter 16 - STATE BOARD OF MEDICINE-GENERAL PROVISIONS › Subchapter B - GENERAL LICENSE, CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION PROVISIONS › Section 16.19 - Continuing medical education

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(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) Proof of completion of 100 credit hours
					 of continuing medical education in the preceding biennial period, including at
					 least 2 hours of approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting in
					 accordance with §
											16.108(b)
					 (relating to child abuse recognition and reporting-mandatory training
					 requirement), 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.