July 13, 2005

Dear Hopkins Faculty:

The Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) is happy to inform you of a significant change in the tracking procedure for your CME credits that are obtained through attendance at CME accredited regularly scheduled conference activities¹ here on campus. In the past there was a $35 charge for a voluntary system of CME tracking for which you had to self enroll. Starting in August of this year we will no longer require you to apply or personally pay for CME tracking. The Office of CME will collect sign in information from your departments and then once each year will issue a CME certificate for your records. These certificates will be issued in late August. The process will be dependent upon you having signed in at the accredited activities. Sign in, of course, may be electronic or on paper depending on your departmental/divisional approach.

State licensure in Maryland requires that you obtain 50 category 1 AMA PRA CME credits per two-year cycle. The licensure/relicensure application asks you to list your CME activity, but at present does not require that you submit copies of certificates. You should be aware, however, that there have been cases in which the Board of Physicians has asked providers for copies of these certificates as proof of attendance and many states do a random small screen each year. Furthermore the Board of Physicians Frequently Asked Questions on CME states, “If you answered that you earned the required CME's and you did not, you have falsified your application. Be advised that you may be selected to participate in a random CME audit. If the audit reveals that you did not earn at least 50 CME's during your renewal period and you have stated that you did, you may be subjected to disciplinary action.” Furthermore, the Board of Physicians requires that you keep documentation regarding your CME activity for six years.

OCME is happy to provide you with this new service that we believe will facilitate your keeping accurate track of your CME activity here on campus.

Sincerely,

Todd Dorman, M.D.
Associate Dean & Director
Continuing Medical Education

¹ Regularly scheduled conferences (RSCs) are those educational activities that occur on a recurring basis within a year aimed primarily at Hopkins faculty. Common examples of these include Morbidity & Mortality, Case Conferences and Grand Rounds. Please be aware that not all of these activities are CME accredited. Check with your department/divisional leadership to confirm that accreditation was sought and received for the activities you commonly attend.