Massachusetts MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

Hours

50 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

Your birthday every second year (which years depends on when you were first licensed)

Required topics

9

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

Confirm with your Board 243 CMR 2.06(6)(g)1: a newly licensed physician whose first renewal period is one year or shorter needs no CME for it; one longer than one year but shorter than two years needs half of the biennial requirement. The regulation's biennial figure is 100 credits; under Board Policy 2017-05 the requirement is 50, so confirm with the Board how the half is applied.

Reporting

You attest on the renewal application, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that you completed each activity (Policy 2017-05); certificates are not submitted. Keep a written record of Category 1 credits with certificates, and of Category 2 hours, for at least one full renewal cycle after the credits were earned, available to the Board on request (243 CMR 2.06(6)(h)2). Most of your credits should relate to your primary area of practice (243 CMR 2.06(6)(h)1).

Board

Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine

M.G.L. c. 112, s. 2: physicians renew on or before their birthday every second year; if your birthday falls within three months after original registration, the first renewal is on the birthday in the second year after it (February 29 birthdays count as February 28). 243 CMR 2.06(2)(a): an unrenewed license expires at 11:59 p.m. on the renewal date. CME is counted over the two-year period that begins when the license is issued or renewed and ends on the next renewal date (243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)).

Deadline

In Massachusetts, the date depends on your license: your birthday every second year (which years depends on when you were first licensed).

Find your Massachusetts MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Risk management10 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Study of the Board's regulations (243 CMR 1.00–3.00) Confirm with your Board2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
  243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)4: two credits, Category 1 or 2, studying 243 CMR 1.00 through 3.00, each cycle. Policy 2017-05 words it as '2 CME credits for studying each chapter of the Board's regulations'; confirm whether that means 2 in total or 2 per chapter. May be applied to the risk management credits.
• Implicit bias in health care Confirm with your Board2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
  Board Policy 2021-04 (as reported by the FSMB and the Massachusetts Medical Society): since June 1, 2022, initial applicants and renewing licensees complete 2 credits on implicit bias in health care; they may be applied to the risk management credits. The Board's own policy text could not be retrieved (mass.gov blocked automated access), so confirm whether it is due at every renewal.
• End-of-life care2 hours · Once · Every licensee
• Recognizing and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect Confirm with your Board1 hour · Once · Every licensee
  M.G.L. c. 119, s. 51A(k) and 243 CMR 2.06(2)(g): one-time training, met by a hospital-sponsored program, CME on identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect, a Board-approved online program or a specialized certification. No length is set (the 1 hour here is a placeholder).
• Domestic violence and sexual violence training Confirm with your Board1 hour · Once · Every licensee
  M.G.L. c. 112, s. 264 and 243 CMR 2.06(2)(e): one-time training; the Board, with the Department of Public Health, identifies the programs that qualify (the Massachusetts Medical Society notes only a DPH-approved course counts). No length is set (the 1 hour here is a placeholder). DPH approves programs against its published "Chapter 260" criteria (trainer expertise and set learning objectives on the health effects of domestic and sexual violence, recognizing abuse, supporting and referring survivors, Massachusetts mandated reporting) and posts the approved list; review takes about 6–8 weeks. The Massachusetts Medical Society reports the Board's guidance as 2 credits, but the Board's own text could not be retrieved (mass.gov blocked automated access) — confirm the length.
• Opioid education and pain management training3 hours · Every renewal · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  243 CMR 2.06(6)(d): renewing licensees who prescribe controlled substances (M.G.L. c. 94C) need 3 credits each renewal, including identifying patients at high risk for substance abuse and counseling patients on side effects, addictive nature and proper storage and disposal of prescription medicines. M.G.L. c. 94C §18(e) requires the training as a condition of obtaining or renewing the license and adds its content: effective pain management including non-opioid alternatives and how to refer or prescribe them; the risks of misuse and addiction of opioids; identifying patients at risk for substance misuse; counseling on side effects, addictive nature and proper storage and disposal; appropriate quantities for higher-risk medications, including the patient's option to partially fill a Schedule II prescription; and opioid antagonists and overdose prevention treatments. May be applied to the risk management credits.
• Electronic health records (EHR) proficiency3 hours · Once · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  M.G.L. c. 112, s. 2 and 243 CMR 2.06(2)(d): renewing full licensees demonstrate EHR proficiency once. Three Category 1 EHR credits are one way; the others are participating in a Meaningful Use program, working at or being credentialed by a hospital that has implemented an EHR, or participating in the Mass HIway. The 3 credits may be applied to risk management. Administrative, volunteer and inactive licensees and those not practicing are exempt.
• Alzheimer's disease and related dementias training Confirm with your Board1 hour · Once · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  M.G.L. c. 112, s. 2 (St. 2018, c. 220): a one-time course on diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia, for physicians who serve adult populations. The statute sets no length; the Massachusetts Medical Society reports a minimum of 1 credit.

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™Policy 2017-05: credits from an organization accredited by the ACCME, the AOA, the AAFP or an ACCME-recognized state medical society. 243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)1 names AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.
• AAFP Prescribed credit243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)1 names 'AAFP Prescribed credit' as Category 1, and Policy 2017-05 accepts credit from an organization accredited by the AAFP.
• AOA Category 1-A243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)1 names AOA Category 1-A.
• AMA PRA Category 2Policy 2017-05 and the FSMB overview: the 50 credits may be Category 1 or 2, including 1 credit per hour of journal reading or point-of-care learning. 243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)2 defines Category 2 as activities defined by the AMA or AOA.
• AOA Category 1-B Confirm with your BoardNot named in the regulation or policy; AOA Category 2 activities count as Category 2 under 243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)2, and Policy 2017-05 accepts credit from AOA-accredited organizations.