Hawaii physician (MD and DO) CME requirements for license renewal

This guide covers physicians licensed by the Hawaii Medical Board. The Board licenses both MDs and osteopathic physicians (DOs). Both follow the same statute, HRS 453-6, and the same CME rules, Subchapter 5 of Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 16-85. The hours are the same; the renewal dates are not.

The short version

Requirement	MD	DO
Total CME	40 hours of category 1 or 1A credit every two years	Same
Required topics	None	None
License expires	January 31 of even-numbered years (next: January 31, 2028)	June 30 of even-numbered years (next: June 30, 2028)
CME window	The two calendar years before renewal (2026 and 2027)	July 1 to June 30, two years (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028)
First renewal	20 hours if first licensed in year one of the period; none if in year two	Same

How many hours, and what kind

HRS 453-6(b) requires every physician and osteopathic physician to "comply with the category 1 or 1A continuing medical education requirements provided in rules adopted by the board." Subsection (c) says the credit must come from "a category 1 or 1A continuing medical education program accredited by the American Medical Association or the American Osteopathic Association or in other approved category 1 or 1A continuing medical education as provided in the board's rules."

The Board's audit memos set the number: 40 category 1 or 1A hours in the two-year window. The hours can be earned at any time in the window, even all in one month. The Board's rule, HAR 16-85-33, was last amended in 1997 and still describes an older requirement that mixed category 1 and category 2 hours. The current statute requires only the category 1 or 1A part, and the Board's memos ask for 40 hours.

What counts:

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, including activities of organizations accredited by the ACCME (HAR 16-85-34(b)).
AOA Category 1-A credit. The statute applies to every licensee, so MDs may count it too.
Full-time ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship training, or a full academic year toward an advanced degree in a medically related field, during the window.
A current AMA Physician's Recognition Award.
Meeting the CME requirements of a medical society or specialty board you belong to, if they are equal to or greater than the Board's.

The memos say the requirement cannot be met by board certification alone (without meeting the board's CME requirement), passing a certification exam, membership in a medical society, or teaching.

AOA Category 1-B is not named; the statute and memos say "category 1 or 1A." AAFP Prescribed credit is not named either. The AAFP is ACCME-accredited, so its activities may fit HAR 16-85-34(b), but the Board has not said so. Confirm with the Board before relying on either.

When your license expires

MDs renew no later than January 31 of each even-numbered year (HRS 453-6(b)). The Board's page says all licenses renew then, whatever the issue date. The current period runs February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2028. Your CME window is the two calendar years before the renewal date (HAR 16-85-33), so for January 31, 2028 it is calendar years 2026 and 2027.
DOs renew no later than June 30 of each even-numbered year. The current period runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. The Board's 2026 audit memo counted CME from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026, so the window is the two years ending June 30 of the renewal year.

A license not renewed by the expiration date is forfeited, and you may not practice. A forfeited MD or DO license can be restored within two years with proof of CME for the previous cycle; after that it is terminated and you must apply again (HRS 453-6(d)–(e) and the Board's page). Physician-government (MDG) licenses renew every year and are not covered in this guide.

Required topics

Hawaii sets no required topics for physicians. All 40 hours are your choice, as long as they are category 1 or 1A.

A bill that did not pass

A 2026 bill, HB 2305, would have required 1 hour of CME in nutrition and metabolic health from January 1, 2027. It advanced only to a House draft (HD1) and was not enacted when this guide was checked.

Federal requirement

The federal DEA requires a one-time 8-hour training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (the MATE Act) when you first register or renew a DEA registration. It is a federal requirement, separate from Hawaii's rules.

Your first renewal

HAR 16-85-33(2) says a licensee first licensed in the second year of the two-year period needs no CME for the first renewal. The Board's audit memos say a licensee first licensed in the first year needs 20 category 1 or 1A hours for the first renewal. Everyone else needs 40.

For example, for the June 30, 2026 DO renewal, the memo asked for 20 hours from anyone first licensed between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

Reporting and audits

You certify on the renewal application that you met the requirement (HAR 16-85-37). The Board may audit at random (HRS 453-6(c)). MD audit letters go out in October of odd-numbered years and DO audit letters in March of even-numbered years. If you are selected, you cannot renew online: you mail the renewal application, fee and CME documentation together. The statute gives you 60 days from notification to document compliance, and not doing so forfeits the license.

Keep your own records (HAR 16-85-35(b)). The rules set no retention period; keep them for the whole cycle in case you are audited. The audit memos say documentation names you, the dates, the title, the hours and the category 1 or 1A designation. A false certification is grounds for discipline (HAR 16-85-38).

If you could not finish because you practice in an isolated area or because of incapacity or hardship, you can renew with a notarized affidavit asking for a waiver or modification (HAR 16-85-39).

Checklist before you renew

MD: renew by January 31, 2028, with CME from calendar years 2026 and 2027. DO: renew by June 30, 2028, with CME from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028.
Count 40 category 1 or 1A hours (20, or none, at a first renewal).
Keep certificates showing the category and hours.
If you get an audit letter, renew by mail with your documentation.

Requirements change. This guide was checked against the sources below in October 2026; confirm with the Board before you rely on it.