Update on Tracking CME
For DOH Through CE Broker
by Ron Pace, Feb. 12, 2004

Apparently the folks at CE Broker are up to their old misleading advertising tricks again. They are sending out flyers with very misleading information that is worded to imply that PAs must track their continuing medical education (CME) thru them or risk losing your license. This is completely untrue. Ignore their flyers. They have been admonished for sending out misleading documents in the past and will be admonished again it looks like. The more folks they scare into giving them $35, the more money that goes in their pocket for pure profit.

Here is a copy of the flyer that they are sending out: (click link below)

CE Broker Flyer (PDF)

Make sure you understand this. First, PAs do not, repeat, DO NOT, have to track their CME through CE Broker. Second, utilization of tracking by CE Broker is completely voluntary. If you want to just give them $35, go ahead but if you want to part with $35 and get better use of it, just donate it to the FAPA Foundation. Third, if you maintain your NCCPA certification you are fulfilling the state requirement for CME for license renewal as long as you include the required courses in HIV/Aids education, Domestic Violence, Medical Errors, and ten hours of CME in your specialty for those with prescribing licenses. If you do not maintain your NCCPA certification then as long as you maintain documentation of your CME and fulfill the required courses also, then you are okay as well. If you are audited you must be able to provide proof of the 100 hours of CME for every renewal cycle, NCCPA certified or otherwise.

Physicians and physician assistants are exempt from being required to track our CME through this company. It is a voluntary system at present. There is a charge of $35 to use their service. This is a very confusing law. Apparently providers of continuing education (CE) and CME have to log your CME into the system or it does not count. So if they don’t do it correctly and you do, then it does not count anyway. Are you confused about who does what and when? I know I am.

There have been several editorial articles in newspapers around the state addressing this issue because of the number of groups opposed to this law.

This company is lobbying heavily to get the law changed to make it a requirement for all of us to have to use their service. There is some need for a better tracking system for CME and CE credits for some professions, but certainly not the PA profession. There is a bill that has been introduced that will delete the requirement to use this service. FAPA has joined with some twenty one other professional associations in lobbying for passage of this bill. You will hear more on this from President Jeff Hulley through our FAPA Grams.