LICENSURE RENEWAL AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
§ 25.271. Requirements for renewal.
(a) A licensee shall biennially renew his license by completing a form obtained from the Board in advance of October 31 of every even-numbered year, and by paying the required fee. The application shall indicate the following:
(1) Other states where the applicant is licensed.
(2) Disciplinary action taken against the applicant by the licensing boards in other states.
(3) A verdict of guilty, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere by the applicant to a felony, crime of moral turpitude or crime related to the practice of osteopathic medicine in this or another jurisdiction occurring within the 2 years immediately preceding renewal.
(b) A penalty fee as specified by § 25.231 (relating to schedule of fees) will be imposed on a licensee who continued to practice without having timely renewed his license. The licensee may also be subject to other criminal, civil or administrative penalties.
(c) Proof of completion of 100 credit hours of continuing medical education, including at least 2 hours of approved courses in child abuse recognition and reporting in accordance with § 25.417(b) (relating to child abuse recognition and reporting—mandatory training requirement), in the preceding biennial period will be required for licensure renewal for osteopathic physicians.
(1) Beginning with the licensure renewal period commencing November 1, 2006, at least 20 credit hours shall be completed in AOA category 1-A approved activities. At least 12 credit hours shall be completed in Category 1 or Category 2 approved activities in the area of patient safety and risk management. Approved activities in the area of patient safety and risk management may include topics such as improving medical records and recordkeeping, reducing medical errors, professional conduct and ethics, improving communications, preventative medicine and healthcare quality improvement. The remaining credit hours shall be completed in any Category 1 or Category 2 approved activities. Credit will not be granted for courses in office management or practice building.
(2) Physicians shall retain official documentation of attendance for 2 years after renewal, and shall certify completed activities on a form provided by the Board for that purpose, to be filed with the biennial renewal form. Official documentation proving attendance shall be produced, upon Board demand, pursuant to random audits of reported credit hours. Electronic submission of documentation is permissible to prove compliance with this subsection. Noncompliance may result in disciplinary proceedings under section 15(a)(6) of the act (63 P.S. § 271.15(a)(6)).
(3) The following exemptions apply for certain physicians:
(i) A physician applying for licensure in this Commonwealth for the first time shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement for the biennial renewal period following initial licensure.
(ii) A physician holding a current temporary training license shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement.
(iii) A retired physician who provides care only to immediate family members shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement.
(iv) A physician who is on inactive status shall be exempt from the continuing medical education requirement, except that a physician who is seeking to reinstate an inactive or lapsed license shall show proof of compliance with the continuing education requirement for the preceding biennium.
(4) A physician suspended for disciplinary reasons is not exempt from the requirements of this section.
(5) Waiver of the requirements may be permitted, as follows:
(i) The Board may grant a hardship waiver of all or a part of the continuing medical education requirement in cases of serious illness, military service or other good cause provided that the public’s safety and welfare will not be jeopardized by the granting of the waiver.
(ii) Requests for waiver must be made in writing, with appropriate documentation, and include a description of circumstances sufficient to show why compliance is impossible.
(iii) Waiver requests will be evaluated by the Board on a case-by-case basis. The Board will send written notification of its approval or denial of a waiver request.
Authority The provisions of this § 25.271 issued under section 16 of the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act (63 P.S. § 271.16); section 902(b) of the Health Care Services Malpractice Act (40 P.S. § 1301.902(b)); amended under sections 10(d) and 16 of the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act (63 P.S. § § 271.10(d) and 271.16); section 910 of the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act (40 P.S. § 1303.910); and 23 Pa.C.S. § 6383(b)(2).
Source The provisions of this § 25.271 adopted January 10, 1992, effective January 11, 1992, 22 Pa.B. 209; amended December 16, 1994, effective December 17, 1994, 24 Pa.B. 6296; amended May 20, 2005, effective May 21, 2005, 35 Pa.B. 3021; amended December 29, 2023, effective December 30, 2023, 53 Pa.B. 8218. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (380085) to (380086).
Cross References This section cited in 49 Pa. Code § 25.605 (relating to biennial renewal); and 49 Pa. Code § 25.906 (relating to biennial renewal of genetic counselor license).
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