Maryland MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

Hours

50 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30 of your renewal year (no grace period)

Required topics

2

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

COMAR 10.32.01.10F and the Board's FAQ: you are exempt from CME at the first renewal after initial licensure (or reinstatement). Newly licensed physicians must complete the Board's New Physician Orientation before the first renewal (COMAR 10.32.01.08M).

Credit minimum

COMAR 10.32.01.10C(1): at least 25 of the 50 credits must be Category I; the rest may be Category I or II.

Reporting

You attest on the online renewal application that you completed the CME (COMAR 10.32.01.10D). Send documents only if selected for audit; the Board can also verify credits reported to the ACCME's PARS system. Keep certificates for 6 years (COMAR 10.32.01.10E). Holding an active time-limited board certification (ABMS member board, an AOA certifying board, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the College of Family Physicians of Canada) with proof of maintenance dated within 5 years of renewal counts as meeting the 50 credits (COMAR 10.32.01.10E(2)). The Board may impose a penalty of $100 per missing credit (Health Occupations 14-316(d)(6)).

Board

Maryland Board of Physicians

COMAR 10.32.01.08B: licenses renew every two years. The Board's 2026 renewal notices say licenses of physicians whose last names begin A-L expired September 30, 2026 (renewal ran July 15 to September 30), and its print-license links show M-Z licenses renewed in 2025, so M-Z next expire September 30, 2027. There is no late renewal: an unrenewed license expires and must be reinstated. COMAR 10.32.01.10A: CME counts over the 2 years before the license expires.

Deadline

• September 30, 2027

  Last names beginning M-Z (odd-numbered years)

• September 30, 2028

  Last names beginning A-L (even-numbered years)

Find your Maryland MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Implicit bias and structural racism training Confirm with your Board1 hour · Once · Every licensee
  Health Occupations 1-225: at your first renewal after April 1, 2026 you must attest that you completed an implicit bias and structural racism training program approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program (A-L licenses: September 30, 2026; M-Z licenses: September 30, 2027). The Board's notice says it is a one-time requirement; if you already completed implicit bias training for an earlier renewal you do not repeat it, but you still need the structural racism training. Only programs the Program has approved count (Health-General 20-1306: it may approve only programs recognized by a health occupations board or accredited by the ACCME or ACPE) — an ACCME course is eligible but must still be approved and listed; the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities lists approved programs. The law sets no length (the 1 hour here is a placeholder).
• Prescribing or dispensing controlled substances (for a Maryland CDS registration)2 hours · Once · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  COMAR 10.19.03.04B(7) and C: practitioners with a Maryland controlled dangerous substance (CDS) registration must complete 2 credit hours of CE on prescribing or dispensing controlled substances before an initial registration, or before the first renewal of a registration on or after October 1, 2018. Once met, it is not repeated. Courses must be ACCME-accredited or meet your licensing board's approval requirements. This is a requirement of the CDS registration, not of the medical license.

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™COMAR 10.32.01.10C(1)-(2): at least 25 of the 50 credits must be Category I; activities must be accredited by the ACCME, sponsored by a medical society meeting ACCME standards, or an accredited training program (1 year full-time = 50 credits). Unpaid medical record review for the Board counts up to 10 credits.
• AMA PRA Category 2COMAR 10.32.01.10C: Category I or II credit accredited by the ACCME (or sponsored by a medical society meeting ACCME standards) counts toward the 50; at least 25 must be Category I.
• AAFP Prescribed credit Confirm with your BoardNot named. The rule accepts Category I activities accredited by the ACCME; the AAFP is ACCME-accredited and the AMA accepts AAFP Prescribed credit as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1, but the Board has not said so in writing.
• AOA Category 1-A Confirm with your BoardCOMAR 10.32.01.10 does not name AOA credit; it defines qualifying CME by ACCME accreditation. Confirm with the Board before counting AOA Category 1-A credit.