Resources & Information

Yes. Licensees who are subject to NCMB’s controlled substances CME requirement may use CME hours completed to satisfy the new one-time 8 hour training requirement established by the federal government to satisfy their full North Carolina CME requirement. Physicians who prescribe controlled substances must earn 3 hours of controlled substances CME in each three year CME cycle; PAs who prescribe must earn two hours in each two year cycle.

Licensees are not required to notify NCMB they have completed the required CS CME. Please DO NOT email, fax or send CME certificates to the Board. NCMB recommends that licensees keep documentation of CME courses completed. If selected for a CME compliance audit, you will be asked to provide documentation at that time.

During annual license renewal, licensees who prescribe controlled substances are asked to acknowledge that they have been informed of the CS CME requirement and that they understand they are responsible for complying.

Yes. Licensees who prescribe, order, supply, administer, or otherwise provide controlled substances to patients under their care must complete the mandated CME.

While there may be a semantic and possibly even practical distinction between prescribing to patients by writing a prescription and ordering medications to hospitalized patients, the Board has determined that hospital or institutional based licensees (with the exception of physicians holding only a Resident Training License) who order and/or administer any controlled substance to a patient using either their own DEA registration or by means of an institutional DEA registration, directly or indirectly, are required to obtain the CME.

Physicians, including residents who hold a full NC medical license, and physician assistants who prescribe controlled substances.

Physicians must complete three hours of CS CME that cover educational topics specified by NCMB during each three-year CME cycle.

Physician assistants must complete two hours of CS CME that cover educational topics specified by NCMB during each two-year CME cycle.

In most cases, the CS CME cycle is the same as the licensee’s general CME cycle. If a physician does not know his or her cycle year, he or she can email the renewal coordinator at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to inquire about the CS CME cycle year.

PAs may follow their two-year NCMB CME cycle or, if certified through NCCPA, they may follow that organization’s two-year certification cycle. PAs should pick one method for determining their CS CME cycles and follow it consistently.

The CS CME requirement is ongoing. Licensees who prescribe controlled substances must earn CS CME during each new CME cycle.

Yes. If the CME course is completed during a cycle that renews on or after July 1, 2017, then the credit can be claimed even if the course was taken prior to July 1, 2017 (Note: again, the course must have been completed within that CME cycle).

PAs who maintain NCCPA certification, and are exempt from the general requirement to report CME hours to the Board, may use their current NCCPA two-year cycle. 

PAs who currently report CME hours to the Board should use the two-year cycle that started the first birthday after they obtained state licensure.

The most important thing is to obtain the required CME, and to be consistent with the two-year cycle you choose to follow for the purpose of recording and reporting CME.

Yes. Licensees who have not prescribed ANY controlled substances (opioid or non-opioid) since they last renewed and physicians holding a Resident Training License are exempt from the requirement.

It is not necessary to request exemption. However, NCMB will continue to conduct random CME audits to verify exempt status.

No. Only licensees who prescribed controlled substances (including non-opioids) during their most recent CME cycle are subject to the requirement.

No. Only licensees who prescribed controlled substances (including non-opioids) during their most recent CME cycle are subject to the requirement.

Yes. There is no exemption for licensees who practice outside of NC. If you prescribe controlled substances and hold a NC license, you must comply with the CME requirement for controlled substances prescribers.

Yes. The requirement applies to physicians and PAs who prescribed ANY controlled substances (including non-opioids) during their most recent CME cycle.

Yes. The requirement applies to physicians and PAs who prescribed ANY controlled substances (including non-opioids) during their most recent CME cycle.

No. If you did not prescribe any controlled substances in your most recent CME cycle, you are not subject to the requirement. However, as previously required, retired physicians or PAs who maintain an active license will still need to comply with the general CME requirement currently in place.

There are many existing online and in-person CME courses that appear to meet the requirement. Licensees may select any course that is ACCME Category 1 or similar that covers “controlled substances prescribing practices, recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances, and controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management,” as stated in the revised rule.

Yes. The Board provides links to high quality free and low-cost opioid prescribing courses on its website as it becomes aware of them. Check www.ncmedboard.org/prescribingCME.

It would not be possible for the Board to maintain a current and complete list of available courses that meet the CS requirement. Please understand that NCMB does not maintain an exhaustive list of courses that meet the new requirement. Licensees are responsible for ensuring courses meet the content requirements to fulfill the CME requirement.

Possibly. If the instruction is focused on your specific area of practice, but the primary topic of the instruction is controlled substances prescribing practices, recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances or controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management, then that instruction will count towards the requirement. However, the total hours of CME taken to fulfill the proposed requirement ultimately must cover all three topics.

The total hours of CME taken to fulfill the requirement, not individual courses, ultimately must cover all three topics. As approved, the requirement stipulates only that courses cover “controlled substances prescribing practices, recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances, and controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management.” As long as the collective CME taken meets these three basic requirements, licensees are encouraged to choose courses they think will be most practice relevant.

No. All physicians licensed by the Board (other than those holding a Residency Training License) who prescribe controlled substances must satisfy the controlled-substance prescribing CME requirement set forth in 21 NCAC 32R .0101. 

Any physician who qualifies for the MOC exemption in 21 NCAC 32R .0103 and who, as part of their MOC process, completed CME that specifically satisfies the requirement in 21 NCAC 32R .0101 is not required to take controlled-substance prescribing CME beyond that included in their MOC process. 

Licensees whose MOC activities do not include controlled substance prescribing CME as required by 21 NCAC 32R .0101 must complete additional CME that satisfies the requirement. All physicians subject to 21 NCAC 32R .0101 will be asked to affirm that they have completed the required CME, but will not be required to submit documentation of courses completed unless this is specifically requested by the Board.

There are three topics that must be covered:

• Controlled substances prescribing practices
• Recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances
• Controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management

If multiple courses are taken to reach a total of three hours topics., keep in mind that each course need not cover each education topic. Licensees should just ensure that each education topic is covered at least once during each CME cycle.