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

This guide covers physicians licensed by the Maryland Board of Physicians, which licenses both MDs and DOs under the same rules. The CME rule is COMAR 10.32.01.10. The controlled dangerous substance (CDS) registration has its own one-time CE rule, set by the Maryland Department of Health.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME (Category I or II)	50	Every two-year license period	Every MD and DO (not at the first renewal)
Category I within the 50	at least 25	Every two-year license period	Every MD and DO
Implicit bias and structural racism training	no set length	Once, at your first renewal after April 1, 2026	Every MD and DO
Prescribing or dispensing controlled substances	2	Once	Holders of a Maryland CDS registration

How many hours, and what kind

COMAR 10.32.01.10C(1): "in a 2-year period, an applicant shall earn at least 50 credit hours of Category I or II CME, with at least 25 of those CME credit hours being Category 1." The 2-year period is the two years before your license expires.

The Board recognizes activities that meet at least one of these (COMAR 10.32.01.10C(2)):

• accredited as Category I or II by the ACCME;
• sponsored by an international, national or state medical society and meeting ACCME standards;
• an accredited training program you attended in the period (one year full time earns 50 credits; part of a year earns 1 credit per week);
• unpaid medical record review for the Board as a Board designee, up to 10 credits.

Board certification can satisfy the requirement. You meet the 50-credit requirement if you hold an active, time-limited certification from an ABMS member board, an AOA certifying board, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the College of Family Physicians of Canada, with proof of maintenance dated no more than 5 years before the renewal date (COMAR 10.32.01.10E(2)).

DOs and AOA credit. The rule is written around ACCME accreditation and does not name AOA credit. Many osteopathic activities are jointly accredited, and an active AOA board certification satisfies the requirement on its own. If you rely on AOA-only Category 1-A or 1-B credit, confirm with the Board.

AAFP Prescribed credit is not named either. The AAFP is ACCME-accredited and the AMA accepts AAFP Prescribed credit as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, so it should count, but confirm with the Board if most of your hours are AAFP Prescribed.

By statute, the Board may not require every licensee to take a specific course to renew (Health Occupations 14-316(d)(5)), so the Board itself sets no topic requirement. The training below comes from a separate state law.

When your license expires

Maryland licenses renew every two years, on September 30, split by last name:

• last names beginning A–L: even-numbered years (the most recent was September 30, 2026; renewal ran July 15 to September 30);
• last names beginning M–Z: odd-numbered years (next September 30, 2027).

The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30. There is no late renewal and no grace period: if you do not renew, the license expires and you must apply for reinstatement, which requires the CME for the two years before the reinstatement application and a new criminal history records check.

The mandatory topics

Implicit bias and structural racism — once, at your first renewal after April 1, 2026

Health Occupations 1-225 requires every applicant for renewal to attest that they completed "an implicit bias and structural racism training program" approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program. It applies "only to an applicant's first license or certificate renewal after April 1, 2026": for A–L physicians that was the September 2026 renewal; for M–Z physicians it is the September 2027 renewal.

The Board's notice says it is a one-time requirement. If you already completed implicit bias training for an earlier renewal, you do not repeat that part, but you must still complete structural racism training. Programs must be accredited by the ACCME or recognized by a health occupations board; the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities publishes a list of approved programs. The law sets no minimum length, and the course need not be specific to physicians. You send proof only if audited; the Board recommends keeping the certificate for six years.

Controlled substances — 2 hours, once (CDS registrants)

If you hold a Maryland CDS registration, COMAR 10.19.03.04 requires 2 credit hours of CE on prescribing or dispensing controlled substances, completed before an initial registration or before the first renewal of a registration on or after October 1, 2018. Once you have met it, you do not repeat it. The course must be ACCME-accredited or meet your licensing board's approval requirements. This belongs to the CDS registration, not the medical license, but most prescribers need both. Prescribers must also be registered with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to get or renew a CDS registration.

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 Maryland's rules.

Your first renewal

You are exempt from CME at the first renewal after initial licensure (or after reinstatement) (COMAR 10.32.01.10F; Board FAQ). Newly licensed physicians must complete the Board's New Physician Orientation before you apply for your first renewal (COMAR 10.32.01.08M; 2026 renewal information). The structural racism training is not waived.

Reporting and audits

You attest on the online renewal application (COMAR 10.32.01.10D). Do not send CME documents unless the Board selects you for an audit. The Board can check credits that accredited providers report to the ACCME's PARS system, so if your credits are there you may not need to send anything. For the 2026 renewal, audited physicians not using PARS were asked to send documentation by October 15, 2026.

Keep CME documentation for 6 years (COMAR 10.32.01.10E(1)). Certificates must show the program title, sponsor, your name, dates and location, the credit category and hours, and proof of completion. A disciplinary panel may impose a civil penalty of up to $100 per missing credit for a first offense (Health Occupations 14-316(d)(6)). Physicians who are retired or hold a volunteer license still need the 50 credits while their license is active.

Checklist before you renew

1. Check your last name: A–L renew by September 30 of even years, M–Z by September 30 of odd years.
2. Count 50 credits from the two years before expiration, with at least 25 Category I (or confirm an active time-limited board certification covers you).
3. If this is your first renewal after April 1, 2026, complete an approved structural racism training (and implicit bias training if you never did it).
4. If you hold a Maryland CDS registration, make sure the one-time 2 hours are done.
5. Keep certificates for 6 years.
6. Renew online by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on September 30.

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