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

This guide covers physicians licensed to practice medicine in all its branches under the Illinois Medical Practice Act of 1987. MDs and DOs hold the same license, renew on the same date and follow the same CME rule, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1285.110. The license is issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) on the advice of the Illinois State Medical Board.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME	150	Every three-year renewal cycle	Every MD and DO (not at the first renewal)
Formal CME (within the 150)	at least 60	Every cycle	Every MD and DO
Sexual harassment prevention	1	Every renewal, including the first	Every MD and DO
Implicit bias awareness	1	Every renewal that requires CE	Every MD and DO
Cultural competency	1	Once every six years	Every MD and DO
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias	1	Once every six years (see below)	Physicians who see adults 26 or older
Safe opioid prescribing	1	See below — timing unsettled	Holders of an Illinois controlled substance license
Mandated reporter training	1	At least every six years	Physicians who work with children (others attest)

The mandated-topic hours count toward the 150; they are not added on top.

How many hours, and what kind

Section 1285.110(a) requires 150 hours of CME per prerenewal period, the 36 months before July 31 of the renewal year. One CME hour is 60 minutes; after the first hour, credit may be given in 30-minute steps. Hours used for one renewal cannot be used again for the next, so nothing carries over.

The 150 hours are split (Section 1285.110(b)(1)):

• At least 60 hours of formal CME: programs run or endorsed by hospitals, specialty societies and accredited or approved sponsors, programs from medical and osteopathic schools, programs required for specialty board certification or recertification, and sponsor-approved enduring materials, live activities, internet point-of-care learning and journal-based CME. Approved sponsors include ACCME-accredited organizations, the Illinois State Medical Society, the AOA Council on Continuing Medical Education and the Illinois Osteopathic Medical Society (Section 1285.110(c)(1)(A)). Postgraduate training earns up to 12.5 hours a month.
• Up to 90 hours of informal CME that you document yourself with dates and a short description: online searching and learning, consulting peers, teaching, medical writing, self-assessment, peer review and quality work, journal reading and similar activities (Section 1285.110(b)(3)).

The rule does not use the words "Category 1" or "Category 2". AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from an accredited provider is formal CME, and IDFPR accepts an AMA Physician's Recognition Award certificate earned within the prerenewal period as proof of all 150 hours (Section 1285.110(a)(7)). AOA Category 1 credit from AOA-accredited sponsors is formal CME for DOs and MDs alike. AAFP Prescribed credit is not named, but the AAFP is a specialty society and an ACCME-accredited organization, so its activities should count as formal CME. Confirm with IDFPR if you rely on it heavily.

CME used to meet another state's requirements also counts in Illinois if it was approved in that state and documented as the rule requires (Section 1285.110(a)(6)). Physicians licensed in Illinois but living elsewhere must still meet the Illinois requirement.

When your license expires

Every Illinois physician and surgeon license expires on July 31 every third year: 2026, 2029, 2032 (Section 1285.120). You may renew in the month before the expiration date.

For the 2026 renewal only, IDFPR granted a variance during its move to a new licensing system: physicians had until August 31, 2026 to renew. The variance did not change the expiration cycle or the CME rules, and licenses renewed under it run to July 31, 2029. The current prerenewal period is August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2029.

The mandatory topics

These requirements come from state law rather than the Medical Practice Act rule. IDFPR summarizes them on its continuing education page.

Sexual harassment prevention — 1 hour, every renewal

Required of every individual licensee by 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.5, "during each renewal cycle, beginning with the first renewal after obtaining their initial license." It applies even at your first renewal, when general CME is waived. The training must come from your employer, the Illinois Department of Human Rights or a CE provider authorized under an Act IDFPR administers.

Implicit bias awareness — 1 hour, every renewal that requires CE

Required by 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7, one hour per renewal period "starting with the first renewal that requires continuing education". For physicians that is the second renewal. From July 1, 2026, physicians who report to IDFPR that they provide maternal health care services (prenatal care, or postnatal visits within 12 months after childbirth) must take implicit bias training that includes the maternal health risk factors facing childbearing people from marginalized racial or ethnic groups.

Cultural competency — 1 hour, every six years

Added by Public Act 103-0531 (20 ILCS 2105/2105-370) for renewals on or after January 1, 2025. You must complete at least one hour before the first renewal that requires CE, then once every six years (every other renewal). IDFPR defines cultural competency as "a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enables a health care professional or organization to provide effective care to patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities."

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias — 1 hour, every six years (if you see adults 26 or older)

Required by 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365 only of physicians who provide care to, and have direct patient interactions with, adults age 26 or older. The hour must cover assessment and diagnosis, effective communication strategies, and management and care planning. Dementia training used for another licensing, certification or institutional requirement also counts. IDFPR says the course is completed before the first renewal that requires CE and then "retaken once every six years". Some institutional CME offices still describe it as due every renewal or at the first renewal, and the statute text could not be read for this review. Confirm the timing that applies to you.

Safe opioid prescribing — 1 hour (Illinois controlled substance license holders)

Required of every prescriber who holds an Illinois controlled substance license, whether or not you prescribe opioids. IDFPR's FAQ, written for 2020 renewals, says one hour at every controlled substance renewal, with no exemption for the first renewal, from a professional association, a state or federal agency, or a CE provider your profession's rules accept. Institutional CME offices report that Public Act 103-0531 moved it to once every six years from 2025. IDFPR's current CE page does not list this requirement, so confirm the current timing with IDFPR before you skip it in a cycle.

Mandated reporter training — at least every six years (if you work with children)

Physicians are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5/4). The training requirement is set by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), not IDFPR. Physicians who work with children must complete mandated reporter training at least every six years. Physicians who do not work with children may instead attest at each renewal that they understand their duties as mandated reporters. You must report completion to your employer and IDFPR and keep your own record. DCFS offers a free online course, and the hour can count toward your CME.

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 the Illinois rules above.

Your first renewal

Section 1285.110(a)(4) says a renewal applicant "shall not be required to comply with CME requirements for the first renewal of an Illinois license." The 2026 renewal form says the same. The sexual harassment prevention hour still applies, the mandated reporter rules apply, and the safe opioid prescribing hour may apply if you hold a controlled substance license.

Reporting and audits

Illinois has no state CE tracking system. You certify on the renewal application that you have met the CME requirements (Section 1285.110(d)). IDFPR may ask for evidence such as certificates of attendance, and producing it is your responsibility. A sponsor's certificate shows the sponsor's name and license number, your name, the subject, the hours and the date. The rule sets no retention period for licensees (sponsors must keep attendance records for 5 years), so keep your certificates and informal-CME log at least until the next cycle ends.

If illness, full-time military service or another hardship kept you from finishing, you can request a waiver before the renewal date (Section 1285.110(e)).

Checklist before you renew

1. Count 150 hours earned since August 1 of the year three years before your renewal year, with at least 60 formal.
2. Confirm the 1-hour sexual harassment prevention course is done for this cycle.
3. Confirm the 1-hour implicit bias course is done (the maternal health version if you provide prenatal or postnatal care).
4. Check whether cultural competency and dementia training are due in this six-year window.
5. If you hold an Illinois controlled substance license, check that the safe opioid prescribing hour is current.
6. If you work with children, check that your mandated reporter training is less than six years old.
7. Renew by July 31 of the renewal year.

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