Practice Resources
Physician License Renewal in Illinois
Illinois Physician licenses expire July 31, 2023. As part of Governor Pritzker’s initiative to help frontline healthcare workers, licensing renewal fees will be waived for physicians and surgeons. No individual may benefit from such waiver more than once. 225 ILCS 60/ Medical Practice Act of 1987. (ilga.gov)
You’ll be able to renew your license online by going to https://online-dfpr.micropact.com/ and creating an online account. Make sure your account is created and contact information is up to date so IDFPR can send you any important updates regarding your license renewal process. See General Renewal instructions here.
One hundred fifty (150) Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours are required to renew a physician license. More about what’s required in those hours may be found here.
CME’s must be completed between August 1, 2020 – July 31, 2023.
Credits shall be earned as follows:
A minimum of 40% (60 hours) of the required CME hours shall be obtained in formal CME programs. Including: lectures, seminars, webinars, use of audio-visual or computer based materials. (The entire 150-hour requirement may be completed in Category 1).
A maximum of 60% (90 hours) of the required CME hours may be obtained in informal CME programs or activities.
As you should be aware, physicians must also complete continuing education on each of the following topics:
Safe Opioid Prescribing Training: The three-hour education requirement for safe prescribing of opioids is applicable to all licensed healthcare professionals who also possess an Illinois Controlled Substance License.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training: The one-hour sexual harassment prevention education mandate applies to ANY profession licensed by IDFPR that requires continuing education as a condition of licensure renewal.
Recognizing Dementia: This one-hour requirement applies to every licensed healthcare professional who interacts with patients 26 years of age or older. It involves completing a one-hour training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Learn more under Sec. 2105-365 here.
Implicit Bias: This one-hour requirement on recognizing implicit bias in health care applies to all licensed healthcare professionals. Learn more under Sec. 2105-15.7 here.
All four requirements noted above count toward the 150 hours CME required for renewal.
Additional Resources:
IDFPR – Physicians Information
Illinois State Medical Society Renewal Information
Course Options that Meet Some or All Requirements:
Note: IPS does not endorse these options but is simply providing options for you to research. Please use your best judgment when choosing CME courses.
Illinois State Medical Society Course Listings
IL Academy of Family Physicians
Stanford Medicine: Unconscious Bias in Medicine
University of Chicago Course Options
NEW DEA Requirements
In addition to the State License Renewal Requirements, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 enacted a new one-time, eight-hour training requirement for all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-registered practitioners on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.
The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission—regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration—on or after June 27, 2023. This one-time training requirement affirmation will not be a part of future registration renewals.
Where to Take this Course:
APA: Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (Online)
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