Colorado DO CME requirements

At a glance: DO (osteopathic physician)

Hours

30 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

April 30 of odd-numbered years (next: April 30, 2027)

Required topics

1

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

Rule 1.33(C)(6) prorates the 30 hours by date of licensure: 22 hours if licensed 18–20 months before the cycle ends, 15 hours at 12–18 months, 10 at 6–12 months, 5 at 4–6 months; licenses approved within 120 days of the expiration date run through the following cycle, which then needs the full 30. The Board's CME page says no hours are needed if you were licensed up to 4 months before the expiration date. C.R.S. 12-240-130.5(5) also lets the Board waive the first-renewal CME for physicians licensed within 12 months after finishing postgraduate training.

Reporting

At renewal you attest, under penalty of perjury, that you completed the required CME (C.R.S. 12-240-130.5(3)(b); Rule 1.33(C)(5)). The Board may audit up to 5 percent of physicians a year, chosen at random with oversampling of physicians who are not board certified, and compliance audits follow each license period. Keep transcripts or certificates (sponsor, title, dates, hours, completion certificate) for at least two renewal cycles (Rule 1.33(F)); the Board's page says at least 4 years. Failing to comply or to answer an audit is unprofessional conduct. Waivers for health, military service or undue hardship should be requested about three months before expiration (Rule 1.33(H)).

Board

Colorado Medical Board

The Board says all physician licenses expire on April 30 of odd-numbered years. C.R.S. 12-240-130.5 (HB24-1153) requires 30 CME credit hours in the compliance period, the 24 months immediately preceding renewal, for renewals on or after January 1, 2026; Rule 1.33 (3 CCR 713-1, emergency rule February 26, 2026, permanent April 30 and July 15, 2026) applies it to each biennial cycle. April 30, 2027 is the first renewal with documented CME. The requirement applies to active licenses (and to reinstatement or reactivation), not to renewing an inactive license. C.R.S. 12-240-130.5(3)(d)(IV) also accepts a program required in order to maintain national board certification, not including a program self-claimed or self-documented by the physician; these hours count toward the 30 (record them as Board certification (MOC) activity).

Deadline

• April 30, 2027

Find your Colorado DO deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Substance use prevention training (opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing, recognizing and referring substance use disorders, the PDMP) Confirm with your Board2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
  Rule 1.29 and C.R.S. 12-30-114: at least 2 cumulative hours each renewal period on opioid prescribing best practices, the harm of inappropriately limiting prescriptions to chronic pain patients, benzodiazepine prescribing, recognizing and referring substance use disorders, and the state PDMP. Exempt: physicians who hold national board certification requiring equivalent training, or who attest that they do not prescribe opioids. Training may be CME, self-study, peer review, teaching or conference attendance; accredited courses also count toward the 30 hours (Rule 1.33(E)). SB26-138 (signed June 2026, effective August 12, 2026) requires the Board to repeal this rule by July 1, 2027, and the Board proposed the repeal at an August 27, 2026 hearing. Rule 1.29 was still in the code when this was checked; confirm with the Board whether it applies to your 2027 renewal.

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™C.R.S. 12-240-130.5(3)(d)(I) and Rule 1.33(D)(1): programs accredited by the ACCME that qualify for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.
• AAFP Prescribed creditC.R.S. 12-240-130.5(3)(d)(II) and Rule 1.33(D)(3): programs that qualify for AAFP Prescribed credit.
• AOA Category 1-AC.R.S. 12-240-130.5(3)(d)(III) and Rule 1.33(D)(4): approved programs of the AOA, which the Board interprets as accredited programs qualifying for AOA Category 1-A credit. AOA Category 1-B is not listed.
• Board certification (MOC) activity Confirm with your BoardC.R.S. 12-240-130.5(3)(d)(IV) and Rule 1.33 (3 CCR 713-1), section D.2: a program required in order to maintain national board certification is a Board-approved course and counts toward the 30 hours; a program self-claimed or self-documented by the physician does not. We cannot tell from a wallet record whether the board documented the activity, so confirm that yours is one the board required and recorded.