Rhode Island Physician (MD) license renewal and CE requirements
Rhode Island physicians (MD) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline.
Rhode Island physician licenses expire biennially on July 1 of the next even-numbered year. Every physician who intends to keep practicing files a renewal application and fee with the board before July 1 of each even-numbered year, with payment postmarked on or before July 1. Renewal notices go out 60 days before the expiration date, and renewal is done online.
Summary
Requirements are changing. Rhode Island sets the subject matter of the CME requirement cycle by cycle. For the 2026 renewal cycle the board states that no specific topics are required and that 40 hours of ACCME-accredited training in any topic area satisfies the requirement, which is a change from earlier cycles that named topics of current concern. Confirm the topic list with the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline before planning CME for a later cycle.
Rhode Island physicians (MD) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. Rhode Island physician licenses expire biennially on July 1 of the next even-numbered year. Every physician who intends to keep practicing files a renewal application and fee with the board before July 1 of each even-numbered year, with payment postmarked on or before July 1. Renewal notices go out 60 days before the expiration date, and renewal is done online. Rhode Island also mandates specific subjects. Best practices regarding opioid prescribing: a one-time requirement of 8 CME credits (practitioners who prescribe a Schedule II opioid. Practitioners who completed the DATA 2000 waiver training course and hold an active DEA certificate with an X designation are exempt.).
Rhode Island Physician (MD) renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 07/01 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 40 CME credits |
| Category 1 minimum | 40 CME credits |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Participation in an ABMS Maintenance of Certification program; Participation in the AOA Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC) program; Participation by duly appointed board members in regular board meetings and investigating committee meetings, counted on an hours-served basis |
A minimum of 40 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit or AOA Category 1a credit on or before June 1 of every even-numbered year, on a biennial basis, documented to the board (216-RICR-40-05-1, section 1.5.5(A)). All 40 must be Category 1 or Category 1a, so category_1_minimum equals the total. For the 2026 renewal cycle the board states the requirement may be met by 40 hours of ACCME-accredited training in any topic area and that no specific topics are required. Participation in ABMS Maintenance of Certification or AOA Osteopathic Continuous Certification is treated as equivalent to the full 40 hours. The board may grant one six-month extension of the education requirement under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-37-2.1. Renewal is denied to any applicant who fails to provide satisfactory evidence of CME. Physicians holding a temporary post-graduate license satisfy CME through participation in an accredited post-graduate medical education program, and volunteer physicians are held to the same 40-hour rule.
Required CE topics for Rhode Island physician (md)s
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best practices regarding opioid prescribingThis attaches to the controlled substance registration rather than to the medical license itself: the training is required only once and must be completed before renewal of the controlled substance registration or within two years, whichever is longer. Eight hours of Category 1 CME, or the equivalent, covering any or all of appropriate prescribing of opioids for pain, pharmacology, adverse events, potential for dependence, tolerance, substance use disorder, and alternatives to opioids for pain management. No one specific course is required; the DATA 2000 waiver training course qualifies. Separate from this, the federal Medication Access and Training Expansion Act requires DEA registrants to attest to eight hours of training on treating patients with substance use disorder, which the Rhode Island Department of Health reminds prescribers about but does not itself impose. | 8 CME credits | One time | Practitioners who prescribe a Schedule II opioid. Practitioners who completed the DATA 2000 waiver training course and hold an active DEA certificate with an X designation are exempt. | 216-RICR-20-20-4, section 4.4(P) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 3 years |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | Credits must be AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA Category 1a, and the board accepts ACCME-accredited training for the 2026 cycle. It is the physician's own responsibility to obtain documentation from the approved sponsoring or co-sponsoring organization showing participation and the number of dated credits earned. Those documents are kept for three years for board review if required, and only a summary list, not the documents themselves, is submitted with the renewal application. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Rhode Island MD need to renew?
- Rhode Island physicians (MD) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline. A minimum of 40 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit or AOA Category 1a credit on or before June 1 of every even-numbered year, on a biennial basis, documented to the board (216-RICR-40-05-1, section 1.5.5(A)). All 40 must be Category 1 or Category 1a, so category_1_minimum equals the total. For the 2026 renewal cycle the board states the requirement may be met by 40 hours of ACCME-accredited training in any topic area and that no specific topics are required. Participation in ABMS Maintenance of Certification or AOA Osteopathic Continuous Certification is treated as equivalent to the full 40 hours. The board may grant one six-month extension of the education requirement under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-37-2.1. Renewal is denied to any applicant who fails to provide satisfactory evidence of CME. Physicians holding a temporary post-graduate license satisfy CME through participation in an accredited post-graduate medical education program, and volunteer physicians are held to the same 40-hour rule.
- How often does a Rhode Island MD license need to be renewed?
- Physician (MD) licenses in Rhode Island renew every two years. Rhode Island physician licenses expire biennially on July 1 of the next even-numbered year. Every physician who intends to keep practicing files a renewal application and fee with the board before July 1 of each even-numbered year, with payment postmarked on or before July 1. Renewal notices go out 60 days before the expiration date, and renewal is done online.
- What specific CE topics are required for Rhode Island physicians (MD)?
- Best practices regarding opioid prescribing: a one-time requirement of 8 CME credits (practitioners who prescribe a Schedule II opioid. Practitioners who completed the DATA 2000 waiver training course and hold an active DEA certificate with an X designation are exempt.). Citations: best practices regarding opioid prescribing (216-RICR-20-20-4, section 4.4(P)).
- Do Rhode Island physicians (MD) have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and records must be kept for 3 years. Credits must be AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA Category 1a, and the board accepts ACCME-accredited training for the 2026 cycle. It is the physician's own responsibility to obtain documentation from the approved sponsoring or co-sponsoring organization showing participation and the number of dated credits earned. Those documents are kept for three years for board review if required, and only a summary list, not the documents themselves, is submitted with the renewal application.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 216-RICR-40-05-1, Licensing and Discipline of Physicians (sections 1.5.5 Continuing Education and 1.5.6 Issuance and Renewal of License and Fee)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- 216-RICR-20-20-4, Pain Management, Opioid Use and the Registration of Distributors of Controlled Substances in Rhode IslandStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Physicians, Licensing, Rhode Island Department of HealthState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
Rhode Island runs one combined board. The Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, inside the Department of Health, licenses allopathic and osteopathic physicians under the same rule, 216-RICR-40-05-1, which by its own words applies to any physician who practices allopathic or osteopathic medicine, so the MD and DO records cite the same sources. The rule accepts AMA PRA Category 1 for MDs and AOA Category 1a for DOs interchangeably, and treats ABMS Maintenance of Certification and AOA Osteopathic Continuous Certification as equivalent. There is one date mismatch inside the state's own material that is worth knowing: the rule sets the CME deadline at June 1 of the even-numbered year while the license itself expires and the renewal is filed by July 1 of that year. Both are recorded rather than reconciled. Earlier cycles required at least four of the 40 hours in topics of current concern named by the director, such as ethics, risk management, opioid and chronic pain management, end of life and palliative care, and antimicrobial stewardship. The board's current page states that no specific topics are required for the 2026 cycle, which is why an advisory is attached rather than a mandatory topic entry. The eight-hour opioid prescribing training in 216-RICR-20-20-4 is recorded because it binds prescribing physicians, but it is a condition of the controlled substance registration, not of the medical license CME total. Carryover, live or self-study caps, first-renewal exemption, and a formal CME audit program are not stated in the sources read and are left null. The board does not maintain a separate homepage outside the Department of Health licensing pages, so the physicians licensing page is cited as both the board and renewal page.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.