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The revised CME rules eliminate the requirement to report ANY Category 2 CME hours while maintaining the requirement to earn a minimum of 60 Category 1 CME hours over a three-year period.
A licensee who obtains initial certification from an ABMS, AOA or RCPSC specialty board shall be deemed to have satisfied his or her CME requirement in full for the three year cycle in which the board certificate is obtained. Licensees who obtain initial certification will indicate that they are exempt from the CME requirement during annual renewal by selecting “exempt.”
Category 2 CME hours are no longer required and may not be counted to satisfy the CME requirements. The Board encourages licensees to continue to complete CME, whether Category 1 or 2 hours, above and beyond the minimum required, as their time permits. Many Category 2 CME activities may be useful to licensees.
Yes. Four distinct groups of licensees may qualify for an exemption to the requirements. They are listed below.
1. MOC/recertification exemption Physicians who are currently engaged in a program of recertification or maintenance of certification (MOC) through an ABMS, AOA or RCPSC specialty board shall be exempt from reporting CME to the NC Medical Board for the three year cycle in which they are involved in recertification/MOC. Licensees who qualify for this exemption will indicate this during annual renewal by selecting “exempt.” There are some important exceptions to this exemption; Physicians who have been “grandfathered” or awarded lifetime certfication by an ABMS, AOA or RCPSC specialty board SHALL NOT qualify for the exemption and will be required to report CME.
2. Initial certification exemption A licensee who obtains initial certification from an ABMS, AOA or RCPSC specialty board shall be deemed to have satisfied the CME requirement for the three-year cycle in which initial certification was obtained. Licensees who qualify for this exemption will indicate this during annual renewal by selecting “exempt.”
3. Military service exemption Physicians who are in good standing with the Board, serving in the armed forces of the United States or serving in support of such armed forces, and serving in a combat zone, or serving with respect to a military contingency operation as defined by 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13) will be exempt from reporting CME. Licensees who qualify for this exemption will indicate this during annual renewal by selecting “exempt.”
4. NC legislative service exemption Physicians who are currently serving as members of the NC General Assembly’s House or Senate Health committees will be exempt from reporting CME hours. These licensees will indicate their exemption during annual renewal by selecting “exempt.”
Your current CME hours can be accessed on our website. Visit www.ncmedboard.org and click on “Update Licensee Info Page” in the green Quick Links menu on the right. Log in using your FileID# and date of birth. The tab “Preferences/CME” will allow you to view the CME hours in your current three-year cycle.
If you have questions or need to make changes, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
All CME documentation should be kept for 6 years.
Please complete your renewal, and then email the Board. Click here and select “Questions about Annual Renewal” to send your message to the correct department. Corrections to the CME cycle or hours from previous years can be made after the renewal is complete.
Your 3 year cycle depends on when you were licensed. The 3 year cycle shall run from the physician’s birthday beginning in the year 2001 or the first birthday following initial licensure, whichever occurs later.
Residents and Fellows who are enrolled in ACGME- or AOA-accredited graduate medical education programs are exempt from the requirement, until the first birthday following completion of their training program. During your online renewal there is an EXEMPT box to check, which will reset your CME cycle.
Please send your questions via .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to the Board’s renewal department.
Yes. As long as you have an active license to practice medicine in the state of North Carolina you are subject to the CME rule, which requires 60 hours of Category 1 CME over a 3 year period.
No. Licensees must ensure that they earn a total of 60 Category 1 CME hours by the end of the current three-year cycle.
Any hours that you put in to receive the Physician’s Recognition Award that also qualify as relevant may be used. The Physician’s Recognition Award and similar awards, taken by themselves, cannot be accepted as documentation.
No. The CME hours earned within a three-year cycle can be used only to fulfill the requirements for that cycle.
Licensees should not mail CME documentation to the Board unless specifically asked to. Please maintain your own CME records, so that you can furnish them to the Board in the event of a CME audit. You will report hours annually during the license renewal process.