Note to Rinaldi
“cme.doc”
May/June 2008
Delete all others and replace with this.
Emailed to Ron: 3/28/08
For Your Information CME, Seminars, Workshops & Conferences
Visit the Department of
Health’s Medical Quality Assurance (Board of Medicine) website for detail information on licensure requirements:
WWW.DOH.STATE.FL.US/MQA
Licensure Renewals
In order to determine the expiration date of your license, look for the date on the actual paper license sent to you by the Board of Medicine/Osteopathic Medicine or go to: www.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00PRAES/PRASLIST.ASP to search for information about your license.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) coursework must be completed between February
1 of the even/odd year through January 31 of the next even/odd year for the license renewal. Licensees should not submit CME documentation unless audited. Physicians and/or spouses in the military are exempt from the CME requirements.
All CME must be AMA approved category I, except for Domestic Violence. Domestic
Violence courses offered by any State or Federal Government Agency or professional association including any provider of category I or II AMA continuing medical education will be acceptable.
CHANGES TO CME REQUIREMENTS
On June 20, 2006 Governor Bush signed HB 699 into law. It takes effect on July 1,
2006. Below is a summary of the portions of the bill regarding CME requirements.
The new law provides that physicians (MDs and DOs) will now only be required to complete one (1) credit in HIV/AIDS
– this must be done prior to the first renewal of the license, but once the physician has taken one (1) credit, he or she does not ever have to take it again. Most Florida physicians have already met this requirement and will not need to take the course again.
The new law provides that physicians (MDs and DOs) will now only be required to complete two (2) credits in Domestic Violence every third biennial renewal, beginning with renewals following July 1, 2006.
The HIV/AIDs and Domestic Violence courses will no longer be required prior to initial licensure. For initial licensure, the only requirement will be two (2) credits in Prevention of Medical Errors. The biennial requirement for Prevention of Medical Errors also remains the same – MDs and DOs must complete two (2) credits during each two-year licensure cycle.

End of life and palliative care courses can no longer be used in lieu of the HIV/AIDS course or Domestic Violence course.
To help Florida's osteopathic physicians earn CME credits, the Florida Osteopathic
Medical Association (FOMA) holds two meetings each year. Their Annual Convention is held each spring in Fort Lauderdale and their Mid-Year Seminar is held each fall in
Tampa. Discounts on registration rates are available to all FOMA members.
Below is a summary of Florida CME requirements for MD’s only, effective July 1, 2006:
Initial licensure:
Two (2) credits in Prevention of Medical Errors
First renewal:
One (1) credit in HIV/AIDS
Two (2) credits in Prevention of Medical Errors
Every renewal thereafter:
40 credit hours of CME including two (2) credits in Prevention of Medical Errors
In addition, every third renewal:
Two (2) credits in Domestic Violence.
For MDs renewing on January 31, 2007, you will be required to complete two (2) credits of Domestic Violence before your renewal in 2011.
For MDs renewing on January 31, 2008, you will be required to complete two (2) credits of Domestic Violence before your renewal in 2012.
Auditing
The Florida Board of Medicine will audit at random a number of licensees as is necessary to assure that the continuing education requirements are met. Should he/she be one of the 3% who are audited, the documents must be notarized. (Note: If the physician has met these requirements under MECOP's sponsorship, MECOP will provide & notarize the documents. In addition, and in order to give the physician a complete profile of hours earned, he may submit to MECOP proof of those hours earned under another accredited sponsor and it will be entered into MECOP's tracking system. ALL hours will then be notarized for the audit.)
The application for renewal shall include a form on which the licensee shall state that he has completed the required continuing education. The licensee must retain such receipts, vouchers, certificates, or other papers, such as the Physician's Recognition
Award issued by the AMA, as may be necessary to document completion of the continuing education listed on the renewal form for a period of not less than 4 years from the date the course was taken.
June:
Musculoskeletal Oncology Review Course. June 6-8, 2008, Islamorada, FL. 13.25 AMA
PRA Category 1 Credits.CME program sponsored by the USF College of Medicine.
Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.

July:
Advanced CHF Review. July 17-20, 2008, Tampa, FL. 15.0 AMA PRA Category 1
Credits™- CME program sponsored by the USF College of Medicine. Please call (813)
974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
Seventh Annual South East Trauma Symposium. July 31-August 3, 2008, Destin, FL.
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ - TBD CME program sponsored by the USF College of
Medicine. Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
August:
ACLS Provider Course August 22 , 23, 2008 at St. Joseph’s Hospital Tampa, Florida.
National recognized training and evaluation program in advanced life support certifications, recertifications and Physician Only ½ day course available. Maximum of eight (8) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™ by the American College of Emergency
Physicians and the State Board of Nursing. Physicians should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Please call
Emergency Medical Associates, 813-874-5707 for registration information .
September:
Boston Orthopaedic Trauma Symposium. September 12-13, 2008, Boston, MA. AMA
PRA Category 1 Credits™ - TBD CME program sponsored by the USF College of
Medicine. Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
3 rd Annual Practical Approach to Movement Disorders and MS. September 19-20,
2008, Hammock Beach, FL. 9.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ - CME program sponsored by the USF College of Medicine. Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
9 th Annual Conference on Obesity. September 19-21, 2008, Orlando, FL. 12.25 AMA
PRA Category 1 Credits™ - CME program sponsored by the USF College of Medicine.
Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
October:
ASPES and SPES Annual Meeting. October 1-5, 2008, Williamsburg, VA. AMA PRA
Category 1 Credits™ - TBD. CME program sponsored by the USF College of Medicine.
Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
November:
7 th Annual Advances in Managing Diseases of the CNS: MS/PD. November 8-9, 2008,
Nashville, TN. AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ TBD. CME program sponsored by the
USF College of Medicine. Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
December:

End-of-Life Conference 2008. December 4-5, 2008, Safety Harbor, FL. 12.25 AMA PRA
Category 1 Credits™. CME program sponsored by the USF College of Medicine.
Please call (813) 974-4296 for further information or visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu.
Continuous:
Free CMEs/CEs for Florida Physicians, Nurses, and Dieticians
The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, in collaboration with
St. Petersburg College, are offering unique on-demand provider education modules that address prevention, treatment, and control of:
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease and Stroke
• Obesity
Any physician, nurse, or dietician in Florida can log on to www.OnlineCE.net
, click on
DOH, and access the online registration. You can complete each module as your schedule permits. This program is offered at no charge for Florida providers while funding lasts. Modules may be accessed at no fee for those not seeking CME/CE credits. Non-Florida providers who want CME/CE credits will be charged a nominal fee per CME/CE hour.
DOH recruiting expert physician witnesses to review Board cases.
The Florida
Department of Health is looking for physicians to serve as experts in reviewing cases for the Florida Board of Medicine and rendering an opinion on whether the specific standard of care has been met. Those who serve receive continuing medical education credits toward their mandatory Risk Management requirements. Interested physicians should contact Irene Anker at 850/487-9683.
FMA Online Education Center.
Start your online education today through a combination of multimedia presentations and instructional tests and quizzes. It’s that easy. All course information is provided at www.fmaonline.org. For more information, contact the FMA Education Department at education@medone.org or 800/762-0233.
Issues and Advances in Pediatrics - Immunization Update: Web-Based Course
–
Continuous. 2.0 AMA/PRA category 1 CME Credits. Sponsored by USF College of
Medicine (813) 974-4296.
Bernard M. Sklar MD, MS, Online Continuing Medical Education , 1133 Amador
Avenue - Berkeley, CA 94707, Phone 510-526-4018 Fax 510-527-7030, Email bersklar@netcantina.com, See The List of Online CME at www.cmelist.com/list.htm.
Features links to more than 270 Online CME sites offering more than 12,000 courses and more than 21,700 hours of CME credit. There is no charge to use the site and no registration is needed.
Chronic Disease Resources Online Provider Education Modules Now Available.
The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion announces the availability of a new CME/CE opportunity for Florida nurses, dietitians, and physicians to enhance their ability to provide quality care for patients. CME/CEs are offered no charge while funding lasts! Those not seeking CME/CE may also access at no charge.
Follow this link: www.onlinece.net/subpages/doh_overview.asp http://www.OnlineCE.nethttp://www.OnlineCE.net

For more information, contact: Cynthia A. Hardy, R.N. , Asst. Community Health
Nursing Director, Hillsborough County Health Department, P.O. Box 5135, Tampa,
Florida 33675-5135. (813) 307-8071, Fax (813) 307-8094,
Cindy_Hardy@doh.state.fl.us
Award-Winning Online CME Programs Available Nationally
On September 17, 2007, the Continuing Medical Education office at Boston University
School of Medicine launched a new web-based CME program called Theory into
Practice (TIPS), with its first interactive module “Stepping up to Insulin in Type 2
Diabetes.” Designed to provide primary care physicians with professional development opportunities for improving patient safety and quality improvement processes, TIPS focuses on specific diseases that significantly impact primary care practices.
The TIPS educational model enables participants to integrate changes immediately into their practice. In addition to a core learning experience, each module provides participants with options for a Performance Improvement (PI) component, as well as a novel prospective patient card self-study activity.
Participants can earn up to 32.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ for completion of all components in a module.
Also, the TIPS program “Stepping up to Insulin in Type 2 Diabetes” has been approved by the American Board of Family Medicine for Part IV Recertification Credit .
For each TIPS module the core activities stress online interaction between the participants and the educators and are formatted around a cycle of:
Learn → Apply to Case → Apply to Real Patients → Post to Discussion Board
Participants learn from viewing and listening to online lectures. After reviewing a simulated case study, participants apply the information learned from the lectures by developing a management plan for the case patient, which they post online and then are able compare and selfevaluate with an expert’s management plan. Finally, participants are asked to apply this knowledge to the patients in their own practices and report their results to a faculty-moderated online forum. These activities inform both the creation and the implementation of the action plan for the PI activity.
With “Stepping up to Insulin in Type 2 Diabetes” already voted Best Online CME
Course by the eHealth Institute, TIPS is set to launch its second module, “Motivational
Interviewing for Colon Cancer Screening” in February 2008. Other TIPS modules to follow will include Depression, Pediatric Asthma, Preventative Cardiology, Reducing
Medical Errors, and Resistant Hypertension. Once launched, each module will be available year-round to participants and will last 4-5 weeks depending on the module.
To learn more about the TIPS or to register, go to http://www.bu.edu/fammed/cmetips/index.html
or contact the course director John
Wiecha, MD, MPH at John.Wiecha@bmc.org
.