Pennsylvania MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

Hours

100 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

December 31 of even-numbered years

Required topics

4

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

49 Pa. Code §16.19(b)(3)(i): a physician licensed in Pennsylvania for the first time is exempt from the CME requirement for the biennial renewal period following initial licensure. The 2 Act 31 child abuse hours are still required — the Board says Act 31 applies regardless of other CE requirements.

Credit minimum

At least 20 of the 100 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1 (49 Pa. Code §16.19(b)(1)).

Reporting

You verify completion on the biennial renewal application in PALS (www.pals.pa.gov); the Board audits at random. Keep official documentation for 2 years after renewal (49 Pa. Code §16.19(b)(2)). Act 31 child abuse providers report your completion to the Board electronically — do not upload it yourself.

Board

Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine

49 Pa. Code §16.15(c): registration expires December 31 of every even-numbered year. The 100 hours are earned January 1 of the odd year through December 31 of the next even year (for December 31, 2026: January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026). Neither the rule nor the Board's CME sheet provides for carrying hours over.

Deadline

• December 31, 2026

Find your Pennsylvania MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Child abuse recognition and reporting (Act 31)2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
  49 Pa. Code §16.108(b): 2 hours each biennial renewal, counted within the 100. Only courses approved by the Bureau in consultation with the Department of Human Services count, and the provider must report completion electronically (allow up to 7 days). Required even when other CME is waived (first renewal, active-retired). Exemptions are narrow and must be requested in writing. Applicants for an initial license need 3 hours of approved training before licensure (§16.108(a)). Since January 1, 2025 the Department of Human Services "is no longer accepting new Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Training Curricula for review and approval", so only already-approved providers' courses count.
• Patient safety and risk management12 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Organ and tissue donation and recovery process Confirm with your Board2 hours · Once · Every licensee
  49 Pa. Code §16.19(c), effective May 1, 2026: 2 hours once, on the Board-approved curriculum posted on the Board's website (overview of the donation and transplantation system, tissue donation, organ donation, determining death and family communication, caring for families, organ donor management); the rule names no approved providers, so any course that teaches this curriculum counts. Counts within the 100. Licensed before May 1, 2026: within 5 years of licensure renewal; licensed on or after May 1, 2026: within 5 years of initial licensure; reactivated on or after May 1, 2026: within 5 years of reactivation. The Board's sheet says "whichever comes first" — confirm your own deadline.
• Pain management, identification of addiction, or opioid prescribing/dispensing (Act 124)2 hours · Every renewal · Physicians registered with the DEA

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™49 Pa. Code §16.19(b)(1): at least 20 hours in AMA PRA Category 1; the remaining hours may be Category 1 or 2.
• AMA PRA Category 249 Pa. Code §16.19(b)(1)-(2): activities meeting AMA PRA Category 2 standards count toward the hours beyond the 20 Category 1 hours; document them contemporaneously (the Board has a Category 2 reporting form).
• AAFP Prescribed credit Confirm with your BoardNeither §16.19 nor the Board's CME sheet names AAFP Prescribed credit. §16.19(b)(2)(i)(F) accepts certification "by a CME organization whose standards meet or exceed those established by AMA PRA" as Category 1 documentation — confirm with the Board that AAFP Prescribed credit counts toward the 20 Category 1 hours.