Did you know that all Physician Assistant (PA) licenses expire in even years? That means that your license will expire on January 31, 2016. Did you also know that 2016 is the first renewal period with mandatory Continuing Medical Education (CME) reporting requirements? Are you Renewal Ready?
If you are renewing for the first time, you are required to complete two hours of Prevention of Medical Errors, one hour of HIV/AIDS and 97 hours of general CME. A current NCCPA certification can substitute for the 97 general CME courses. Subsequent renewals require 98 general hours and 2 hours of Medical Errors. Every third biennium, Domestic Violence CME is required, which will be included in the 98 general hours. These courses can be fulfilled by Category (Cat) I or Cat II CME, with a minimum of 50 hours Cat I CME. In addition to the above requirements, prescribing physician assistants must complete 10 hours of CME in each specialty of the supervising physician. These hours are included in the 98 general CME.
The Florida Department of Health has changed the license renewal process. You are now required to report your CME course completions prior to your license renewal. Florida’s electronic continuing education tracking system, powered by CE Broker, records and tracks licensee’s compliance with CE requirements. CME hours can be reported into the tracking system at any time during the license biennium. In fact, in order to avoid any potential delays at renewal, we recommend that the licensee report the CME hours, if they are not reported by the CME provider, as they are completed.
You can create your account by logging into your profile at www.FLHealthSource.gov and selecting “CE Broker Registration”. While in your profile, you can ensure that you receive notification from the department regarding your renewal by confirming that your current mailing address is on file with the department.
When it is time to renew your license, you can do so by logging into www.FLBoardofMedicine.gov and completing a renewal application. Most physician assistants will owe a $280.00 renewal fee with a $150.00 additional fee if you have a prescribing registration. Your fees may vary depending on the current status of your license and the desired status upon completion of the renewal. You can view the full fee schedule at https://flboardofmedicine.gov/renewals/physician-assistants/.
Please note: If you volunteer 160 hours of medical services to the indigent residents of Florida with incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level during the previous biennium, you may be eligible for a waiver of your biennial renewal fee and some of the continuing education hours (no more than 25%) required for license renewal; however, the continuing education requirements for domestic violence, HIV and AIDS, and medical errors cannot be waived.
