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

This guide covers physicians licensed by the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, which licenses both MDs and DOs. Both follow the same rule, 201 KAR 9:310.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME	60	Every three-year cycle (current: January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026)	Every MD and DO
Category I (AMA or AOA), within the 60	at least 30	Every cycle	Every MD and DO
KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders (HB 1)	4.5	Every cycle	Physicians authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Kentucky
Addiction medicine	12	Every cycle	Buprenorphine prescribers
Domestic violence	3	Once, within 3 years of initial licensure	Primary care physicians (and, by statute, psychiatrists)
Pediatric abusive head trauma	1	Once, within 5 years of initial licensure	Pediatrics, radiology, family medicine, emergency medicine, urgent care
License renewal	—	Every year, on or before March 1	Every MD and DO

The mandated hours count within the 60; they are not added on top.

How many hours, and what kind

Kentucky counts CME in fixed three-year cycles that run January 1 to December 31. The Board's schedule names the current cycle as January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026; the next one runs from 2027 through 2029. In each cycle you need 60 hours, and at least 30 must be certified in Category I by an organization accredited by the ACCME or the American Osteopathic Association (201 KAR 9:310 Section 2(1)). The Board says the remaining 30 may be Category I or Category II, such as self-study, teaching, journal reading or other learning you log yourself.

The rule applies to every licensee, so MDs may count AOA Category 1 credit and DOs may count AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

AAFP Prescribed credit is not named in the rule or on the Board's page. The AAFP is ACCME-accredited and the AMA treats AAFP Prescribed credit as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, so it should count toward the 30 Category I hours, but confirm with the Board if you rely on it for most of them. The rule says AOA "Category I" without separating 1-A and 1-B; 1-B is part of AOA Category 1, so it appears to count.

Instead of the 60 hours, the rule and the Board accept a current AMA Physician's Recognition Award or AOA equivalent, specialty-society CME that the AMA or AOA treats as equivalent, passing an ABMS or AOA specialty certification or recertification exam (60 hours), or accredited postgraduate training (50 hours for each full-time year). The state-mandated topics below must still be completed separately.

Hours do not carry over to the next cycle. Retired physicians who keep an active license must still complete the CME.

When your license expires

The license itself renews every year on or before March 1 (201 KAR 9:051). After a cycle ends, the renewal application includes the Continuing Medical Education Certification Form, where you certify the cycle's CME. For the current cycle, that is the renewal due by March 1, 2027, but the hours themselves must be finished by December 31, 2026.

The mandatory topics

KASPER, pain management and addiction disorders (HB 1) — 4.5 hours, every cycle

If you are authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Kentucky at any time during a cycle, you need at least 4.5 hours of Board-approved CME on the use of KASPER (Kentucky's prescription monitoring program), pain management, addiction disorders, or a mix of these (201 KAR 9:310 Section 5). Only programs the Board approved in advance count; the Board lists them on its CME page. For the current cycle the Board prorates it: 3 hours if you were first authorized in 2025, and 1.5 hours if first authorized in 2026. Missing this requirement leads to an emergency order restricting you from prescribing until you finish it.

Addiction medicine for buprenorphine prescribers — 12 hours, every cycle

Under 201 KAR 9:270 (amended effective January 22, 2026), each DEA-registered prescriber of buprenorphine or buprenorphine with naloxone completes at least 12 hours of Category I CME specific to addiction medicine in each three-year cycle, as part of the 60 hours.

Domestic violence — 3 hours, once

KRS 194A.540 requires a 3-hour approved course on domestic violence and elder abuse, neglect and exploitation for physicians who practice primary care or are psychiatrists. If you were licensed after July 15, 1996, complete it within three years of your initial license. Primary care, as defined in KRS 164.925, means family/general practice, general pediatrics, general internal medicine, emergency medicine, general obstetrics and gynecology, and preventive medicine/public health. The Board's pages mention only primary care physicians and a July 1, 1996 date, so psychiatrists should confirm with the Board. The 3 hours count toward the 60.

Pediatric abusive head trauma — 1 hour, once

Pediatricians (including med-peds), radiologists, family physicians, and physicians who practice emergency medicine or in an urgent care setting complete a one-time, Board-approved 1-hour course on recognizing and preventing pediatric abusive head trauma within five years of initial licensure (KRS 311.601(2); 201 KAR 9:310 Section 6). Physicians already practicing in 2017 were due by December 31, 2017. Under the statute, new physicians may count curriculum on this subject from medical school.

The HIV/AIDS course is no longer required (since June 24, 2015). A 2026 bill (HB 412) that would have added 3 hours of mental health CME every three years did not pass.

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 Kentucky's rules.

Your first renewal

Kentucky does not waive CME for new licensees, but it prorates the cycle by the year you were first licensed (201 KAR 9:310 Section 3): licensed in the first year of a cycle, 60 hours; in the second year, 40; in the third year, 20. The Board's schedule splits each into half Category 1 and half other CME. Primary care physicians should also plan the domestic violence course within three years of licensure.

Reporting and audits

You certify completion on the CME certification form with the renewal after each cycle ends. Do not send certificates unless the Board asks; it audits a random sample, and those selected must show proof (Section 8). The rule sets no retention period, so keep certificates at least until the audit window for the cycle has passed.

If you cannot finish in time for a good reason (illness, FMLA-type events, financial hardship or practice circumstances), you may request an extension by April 1 after the cycle ends; the fee is $100. If you do not certify or get an extension, you are fined at least $200 and given six months to comply; after that the license is suspended until you finish (Section 9). The Board does not grant waivers.

Checklist before you renew

1. Check which cycle you are in; the current one ends December 31, 2026.
2. Count 60 hours (or your prorated amount), with at least 30 in AMA or AOA Category I.
3. If you prescribe controlled substances in Kentucky, make sure 4.5 of those hours are Board-approved HB 1 courses.
4. Buprenorphine prescribers: include 12 hours of addiction medicine.
5. Check the one-time domestic violence and pediatric abusive head trauma courses if your specialty requires them.
6. Certify on the renewal due by March 1 and keep your certificates.

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