Massachusetts · MD and DO
Massachusetts: Risk management
MD: 10 hours, every renewal · DO: 10 hours, every renewal.
Last verified against the sources below. Requirements change — confirm with your Board before you rely on this page. This is general information, not legal advice.
MD (medical doctor)
- Hours
- 10 hours
- How often
- Every renewal
- Who
- Every licensee
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every 2 years; licenses expire on your birthday every second year (which years depends on when you were first licensed).
- Board
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
- The rule
- Policy 2017-05: 10 credits each cycle, Category 1 or 2 (243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)3 had required 4 of them in Category 1). 243 CMR 2.01 defines risk management study as instruction in malpractice prevention (risk identification, patient safety, medical error prevention), and it may include medical ethics, quality assurance, medical-legal issues, EHR education, end-of-life care and practice management. Board regulations study, opioid education, end-of-life care and implicit bias credits may be applied to it; Policy 19-02 allows up to 7 credits in physician wellness or burnout.
DO (osteopathic physician)
- Hours
- 10 hours
- How often
- Every renewal
- Who
- Every licensee
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every 2 years; licenses expire on your birthday every second year (which years depends on when you were first licensed).
- Board
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
- The rule
- Policy 2017-05: 10 credits each cycle, Category 1 or 2 (243 CMR 2.06(6)(a)3 had required 4 of them in Category 1). 243 CMR 2.01 defines risk management study as instruction in malpractice prevention (risk identification, patient safety, medical error prevention), and it may include medical ethics, quality assurance, medical-legal issues, EHR education, end-of-life care and practice management. Board regulations study, opioid education, end-of-life care and implicit bias credits may be applied to it; Policy 19-02 allows up to 7 credits in physician wellness or burnout.
What to do next
Other states that require it
Sources
- 243 CMR 2.06, License Renewals (Cornell LII copy; last amended eff. January 7, 2020)
- 243 CMR 2.01, Definitions — risk management study (Cornell LII copy)
- Board of Registration in Medicine Policy 2017-05, A CME Pilot Program (amended December 19, 2019; copy hosted by the Massachusetts Medical Society)
- M.G.L. c. 112, s. 2 — birthday renewal, EHR proficiency, Alzheimer's training
- M.G.L. c. 112, s. 264 — domestic and sexual violence training
- M.G.L. c. 119, s. 51A(k) — child abuse and neglect training
- FSMB — Continuing Medical Education Board-by-Board Overview (updated August 2026)
- Massachusetts Medical Society — CME requirements for physician license renewal in Massachusetts
- M.G.L. c. 94C §18 — Issuance of registration; prescriber education
- Massachusetts DPH — Criteria and application for DPH-approved domestic and sexual violence training (Chapter 260)
MD facts last verified October 8, 2026 · DO facts last verified October 8, 2026.