FAQs about CME
Q: What types of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit are available?
A:
AMA PRA Category 1 credit™ is issued by an accredited provider to physicians who participate in their certified activities and claim credit. Category 1 credit is provided for activities that meet all the requirements prescribed by the AMA. They are formal, pre-planned activities including live activities, and enduring materials. AMA PRA Category 2 credit™ is activities that provide valuable learning for individual physicians that are not designated for Category 1 credit. They might include such activities as unstructured online searching, reading authoritative medical literature, or self-assessment activities.
For more:
- a complete explanation, consult: AMA CME Provider Resources page
- CRICO content and activities available for credit, refer to: CME Learners Overview
Q: How do I obtain Risk Management Credits if I practice in Massachusetts?
A:
In Massachusetts, a majority of CPD* credit must be directly related to the primary area(s) of a physician’s practice, and must include two hours studying the Board of Registration in Medicine’s regulations.
MASSACHUSETTS RISK MANAGEMENT STUDY:
Category 1 – Formal, pre-planned activities that focus on medical malpractice prevention such as risk identification, loss prevention, and patient safety. Those areas may include medical ethics, quality assurance, medical-legal issues, patient relations, utilization review, and non-economic aspects of practice management. Category 2 – Activities that that provide valuable learning and address medical malpractice prevention but are not designated as formal, pre-planned activities. Those might include participation on peer review committees in quality assurance or medical ethics.
For a more complete explanation, you may consult: FAQs about Continuing Professional Development (CPD) *CPD was formerly known as Continuing Medical Education (CME)
*CPD was formerly known as Continuing Medical Education
Q: What is risk management study?
A:
Risk management study consists of learning that includes information regarding the prevention of medical malpractice. Some examples are activities that include loss prevention, risk identification, and patient safety instruction. Risk management study must include instruction in medical malpractice prevention, such as risk identification, patient safety and loss prevention, and may include instruction in any of the following areas: medical ethics;
- quality assurance;
- medical-legal issues;
- patient relations;
- utilization review that directly relates to quality assurance; or
- non-economic aspects of practice management.
Note that at least some of the instruction should focus on medical malpractice prevention, and all instruction should be in one or more of the areas described above. A course designed to improve clinical skills by increasing technical knowledge may qualify for AMA PRA Category 1 credit™, but typically will not constitute risk management study. For a more complete explanation, you may consult: FAQs about Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Note: CPD was formerly known as Continuing Medical Education (CME).
Q: How do I claim risk management credit?
A:
Risk management study is a self-claimed activity. This means you should maintain a record of the activities you complete that meet the requirement for risk management study.
Q: Who needs to receive risk management credit?
A:
Any physician licensed in Massachusetts must earn risk management credit during each licensing cycle.
Q: I’ve completed a CRICO on-line module, how do I receive credit?
A:
After completion of an on-line activity, such as a test or questions on a recorded webinar, a certificate is sent to your email address on file. If you believe you should have received a certificate, and did not, contact the Patient Safety Department to inquire further.
Q: I’m a nurse; do you offer Continuing Education credits?
A:
At this time CRICO offers AMA PRA Category 1 credits™. The Massachusetts Board of Nursing website describes how you may use participation in an activity that provides CME credit for license renewal in their frequently asked questions.