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

This guide covers physicians licensed by the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, which licenses both MDs and DOs. The Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) runs renewals for the Board. Both degrees follow the same statute, Wis. Stat. § 448.13, and the same rule, Wisconsin Administrative Code chapter Med 13.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME (AMA or AOA Category 1)	30	Every two-year biennium	Every MD and DO
Prescribing opioids and other controlled substances (within the 30)	2	Every renewal	Physicians who hold a DEA number
License expires	October 31 of odd-numbered years (next: October 31, 2027)	Every two years	Every MD and DO

How many hours, and what kind

Med 13.02(1) requires every physician, at each renewal, to sign a statement certifying completion of at least 30 hours of acceptable CME "within the biennial registration period." The DSPS physician page puts it simply: "30 hours of Category 1 AMA or AOA is required."

Med 13.03(1)(b) says the Board accepts programs recognized by the AMA, the American Osteopathic Association or the ACCME, and "will accept attendance at and completion of programs accredited as the American medical association's or the American osteopathic association's 'Category I' or an equivalent." One clock hour of attendance equals one hour of CME. The rule applies to every physician, so MDs may count AOA Category 1 credit and DOs may count AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Other ways to earn credit:

Postgraduate training: three consecutive months in a Board-approved residency or fellowship equal the full 30 hours (Med 13.04).
Board-approved programs: courses approved in advance by the Board, including some programs held in other countries (Med 13.03(1)(a)).
Psychiatrists: volunteer help to the Department of Health Services in evaluating community mental health programs counts at four hours of service for one hour of CME (Med 13.03(2)).

AAFP Prescribed credit is not named in the rule. The rule accepts Category I "or an equivalent," and Med 13.05(1)(b) lists a certificate of CME from the American Academy of Family Physicians as acceptable evidence of compliance. It should count, but confirm with the Board if most of your hours are AAFP Prescribed. The rule also says AOA "Category I" without separating 1-A and 1-B. Category 1-B is part of AOA Category 1, so it appears to count.

Hours do not carry over. The statute counts hours completed "within the 2 calendar years preceding the calendar year for which the renewal is effective" (Wis. Stat. § 448.13(1)(a)1.), while the rule says "within the biennial registration period." The two wordings are not quite the same window, so if you are relying on hours finished just before the current biennium began, confirm with the Board.

When your license expires

Every Wisconsin MD and DO license expires on the same date. The DSPS renewal-date table lists both "Physician - MD" and "Physician - DO" as 10/31/Odd: October 31 of every odd-numbered year. The next renewal is October 31, 2027.

DSPS says you can renew about four weeks before the license expires, online through LicensE, and it emails instructions to the address on file. A late fee applies if you renew after the expiration date. If you hold a license obtained through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, you renew through the IMLC instead.

The mandatory topic

Prescribing opioids and other controlled substances — 2 hours, every renewal

Med 13.02(1x) requires that "a minimum of 2 of the 30 hours of continuing medical education … shall be an educational course or program related to prescribing opioids and other controlled substances." It does not apply to a physician who, when applying to renew, "does not hold a U.S. drug enforcement administration number to prescribe controlled substances."

The rule was amended effective October 1, 2023. Courses no longer need specific approval from the Medical Examining Board. DSPS says that for the 2027 renewal these courses "must be AMA or AOA Category 1, but no longer require specific approval." The 2 hours count toward the 30.

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. DSPS calls it "separate from" the Wisconsin requirement, but says courses taken for the DEA requirement can count toward Wisconsin renewal if they meet Med 13.

Your first renewal

Neither the statute nor Med 13 waives or prorates CME at the first renewal, and Med 14.04 says a license first issued during a calendar year is registered for that biennium. DSPS does not say how it treats new licensees. Plan on the full 30 hours, and confirm with the Board if you were licensed partway through the biennium. If you were in residency, three consecutive months of approved training cover the requirement (Med 13.04).

Reporting and audits

You certify completion on the renewal application; you do not send certificates (Med 13.02(1)). The Board conducts "a random audit of licensees on a biennial basis" (Med 13.06) and may ask any physician for proof at any time during the two calendar years (Wis. Stat. § 448.13(1m)).

Acceptable proof includes certificates from the provider, the AMA or the AOA; an AMA Physician's Recognition Award or AAFP CME certificate issued within 12 months before the year of renewal; or certification of postgraduate training (Med 13.05(1)). Keep your evidence "through the biennium for which 30 hours of credit are required for registration" (Med 13.05(2)).

The Board uses CE Broker for audits. A free Basic account is provided but not required, and DSPS says licensees who are current in CE Broker automatically pass an audit. If illness, disability or similar circumstances kept you from CME, you can ask the Board for a waiver (Med 13.02(2)).

The Board has opened a rule project on Med 14 (renewal), statement of scope SS 066-25, to "update renewal requirements for licensure of physicians." No change to Med 13 was pending when this guide was checked.

Checklist before you renew

Your license expires October 31 of the odd-numbered year; the next date is October 31, 2027.
Count 30 hours of AMA or AOA Category 1 credit (or approved training) in the biennium.
If you hold a DEA number, make sure 2 of those hours are on prescribing opioids and other controlled substances.
Keep certificates through the biennium, or keep CE Broker current.
Renew online in LicensE, which opens about four weeks before the deadline.

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