Published: 2015-07-08
Key Benefits:
In order to ensure the continuing competence of licensed physicians and surgeons, the board shall adopt and administer standards for the continuing education of those licensees. The board may also set content standards for any educational activity concerning a chronic disease that includes appropriate information on prevention of the chronic disease, and on treatment of patients with the chronic disease, by the application of changes in nutrition and lifestyle behavior. The board shall require each licensed physician and surgeon to demonstrate satisfaction of the continuing education requirements at intervals of not less than four nor more than six years.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 236, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2012.)
(a) The continuing medical education standards of Section 2190 may be met by educational activities that meet the standards of the Division of Licensing and that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance that a physician and surgeon uses to provide care, or to improve the quality of care provided to patients. These may include, but are not limited to, educational activities that meet any of the following criteria:
(1) Have a scientific or clinical content with a direct bearing on the quality or cost-effective provision of patient care, community or public health, or preventive medicine.
(2) Concern quality assurance or improvement, risk management, health facility standards, or the legal aspects of clinical medicine.
(3) Concern bioethics or professional ethics.
(4) Are designed to improve the physician-patient relationship.
(b) (1) On and after July 1, 2006, all continuing medical education courses shall contain curriculum that includes cultural and linguistic competency in the practice of medicine.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), a continuing medical education course dedicated solely to research or other issues that does not include a direct patient care component or a course offered by a continuing medical education provider that is not located in this state is not required to contain curriculum that includes cultural and linguistic competency in the practice of medicine.
(3) Associations that accredit continuing medical education courses shall develop standards before July 1, 2006, for compliance with the requirements of paragraph (1). The associations may update these standards, as needed, in conjunction with an advisory group that has expertise in cultural and linguistic competency issues.
(4) A physician and surgeon who completes a continuing education course meeting the standards developed pursuant to paragraph (3) satisfies the continuing education requirement for cultural and linguistic competency.
(c) In order to satisfy the requirements of subdivision (b), continuing medical education courses shall address at least one or a combination of the following:
(1) Cultural competency. For the purposes of this section, “cultural competency” means a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enables a health care professional or organization to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities. At a minimum, cultural competency is recommended to include the following:
(A) Applying linguistic skills to communicate effectively with the target population.
(B) Utilizing cultural information to establish therapeutic relationships.
(C) Eliciting and incorporating pertinent cultural data in diagnosis and treatment.
(D) Understanding and applying cultural and ethnic data to the process of clinical care, including, as appropriate, information pertinent to the appropriate treatment of, and provision of care to, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex communities.
(2) Linguistic competency. For the purposes of this section, “linguistic competency” means the ability of a physician and surgeon to provide patients who do not speak English or who have limited ability to speak English, direct communication in the patient’s primary language.
(3) A review and explanation of relevant federal and state laws and regulations regarding linguistic access, including, but not limited to, the federal Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1981, et seq.), Executive Order 13166 of August 11, 2000, of the President of the United States, and the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act (Chapter 17.5 (commencing with Section 7290) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).
(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), educational activities that are not directed toward the practice of medicine, or are directed primarily toward the business aspects of medical practice, including, but not limited to, medical office management, billing and coding, and marketing shall not be deemed to meet the continuing medical education standards for licensed physicians and surgeons.
(e) Educational activities that meet the content standards set forth in this section and are accredited by the California Medical Association or the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education may be deemed by the Division of Licensing to meet its continuing medical education standards.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 630, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2015.)
The Division of Licensing shall establish criteria that providers of continuing medical education shall follow to ensure attendance by licensees throughout the entire course.
(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 440, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2001.)
All general internists and family physicians who have a patient population of which over 25 percent are 65 years of age or older shall complete at least 20 percent of all mandatory continuing education hours in a course in the field of geriatric medicine or the care of older patients.
(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 440, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2001.)
(a)All physicians and surgeons shall complete a mandatory continuing education course in the subjects of pain management and the treatment of terminally ill and dying patients. For the purposes of this section, this course shall be a one-time requirement of 12 credit hours within the required minimum established by regulation, to be completed by December 31, 2006. All physicians and surgeons licensed on and after January 1, 2002, shall complete this requirement within four years of their initial license or by their second renewal date, whichever occurs first. The board may verify completion of this requirement on the renewal application form.
(b) By regulatory action, the board may exempt physicians and surgeons by practice status category from the requirement in subdivision (a) if the physician and surgeon does not engage in direct patient care, does not provide patient consultations, or does not reside in the State of California.
(c) This section shall not apply to physicians and surgeons practicing in pathology or radiology specialty areas.
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 607, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2004.)
(a) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in human sexuality as defined in Section 2090 and nutrition to be taken by those licensees whose practices may require knowledge in those areas.
(b) The board shall consider including a course in child abuse detection and treatment to be taken by those licensees whose practices are of a nature that there is a likelihood of contact with abused or neglected children.
(c) The board shall consider including a course in acupuncture to be taken by those licensees whose practices may require knowledge in the area of acupuncture and whose education has not included instruction in acupuncture.
(d) The board shall encourage every physician and surgeon to take nutrition as part of his or her continuing education, particularly a physician and surgeon involved in primary care.
(e) The board shall consider including a course in elder abuse detection and treatment to be taken by those licensees whose practices are of a nature that there is a likelihood of contact with abused or neglected persons 65 years of age and older.
(f) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in the early detection and treatment of substance abusing pregnant women to be taken by those licensees whose practices are of a nature that there is a likelihood of contact with these women.
(g) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in the special care needs of drug addicted infants to be taken by those licensees whose practices are of a nature that there is a likelihood of contact with these infants.
(h) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course providing training and guidelines on how to routinely screen for signs exhibited by abused women, particularly for physicians and surgeons in emergency, surgical, primary care, pediatric, prenatal, and mental health settings. In the event the board establishes a requirement for continuing education coursework in spousal or partner abuse detection or treatment, that requirement shall be met by each licensee within no more than four years from the date the requirement is imposed.
(i) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in the special care needs of individuals and their families facing end-of-life issues, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Pain and symptom management.
(2) The psycho-social dynamics of death.
(3) Dying and bereavement.
(4) Hospice care.
(j) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall give its highest priority to considering a course on pain management.
(k) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in geriatric care for emergency room physicians and surgeons.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 422, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2015.)
The Division of Licensing shall encourage every physician and surgeon to take a course in pharmacology and pharmaceuticals as part of his or her continuing education.
(Added by Stats. 1988, Ch. 1600, Sec. 2.)
The division shall encourage every physician and surgeon to take a course in geriatric medicine, including geriatric pharmacology, as part of his or her continuing education.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 440, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2001.)
The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding the detection and treatment of child abuse and neglect to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in the state. The board shall consult with the Office of Child Abuse Prevention in developing the materials distributed pursuant to this section.
(Added by Stats. 1980, Ch. 1313, Sec. 2.)
The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding the detection and treatment of elder abuse and neglect to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in this state. The board shall consult with the Adult Protective Services Division of the State Department of Social Services in developing the materials distributed pursuant to this section.
(Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 267, Sec. 2.)
The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding pain management techniques and procedures to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in this state. The board shall consult with the State Department of Health Services in developing the materials to be distributed pursuant to this section.
(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 791, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1999.)
The board shall periodically disseminate information and educational material regarding the detection and treatment of spousal or partner abuse to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in the state.
(Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 1234, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1994.)
The board shall periodically disseminate information and educational material regarding the prevention and treatment of chronic disease by the application of changes in nutrition and lifestyle behavior to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in the state.
(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 236, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2012.)
The board shall convene a working group of interested parties to discuss nutrition and lifestyle behavior for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease at one of its quarterly meetings within three years after the operative date of this section.
(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 236, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2012.)
The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding assessing a patient’s risk of abusing or diverting controlled substances and information relating to the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES), described in Section 11165 of the Health and Safety Code, to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in this state. The board shall consult with the State Department of Public Health, the boards and committees specified in subdivision (d) of Section 208, and the Department of Justice in developing the materials to be distributed pursuant to this section.
(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 400, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2014.)
