New Ways to Claim CME Credit from the AMA

If accomplished in the last 6 years, the following activities are eligible for credit:

• Achieving American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member boards:
• Certification and Maintenance of Certification^® (MOC),
• Certain continuing certification assessments, or
• Focused Practice Designation for approved member boards.
• Teaching a live activity certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™
• Publishing articles indexed in MEDLINE^®/PubMed^®
• Preparing poster presentation(s)
• Finishing a medically related advanced degree
• Participating successfully in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residency or fellowship program

• Initial certification and continuing certification achieved by taking the secure exam:
• Eligible for 60 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™.
• The application must include a copy of the board certificate or the specialty board notification letter.

OR

• Continuing certification assessment:
• CME credit awarded will be based on the guidelines of your individual medical board assessment.
• The application must include a copy of the board certificate or the specialty board notification letter.
• The following boards worked with the AMA to have their continuing certification assessment* approved for direct credit:
• American Board of Dermatology: 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ for each article/article-based question, up to 12 credits per year.
• American Board of Pediatrics: Upon completion of all components of the MOC cycle (which includes MOCA-Peds), physicians can claim 60 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ from the AMA.
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology: 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ for each of the article exams passed during the diplomate’s cycle.
• American Board of Plastic Surgery: 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ for successful completion of each of eight ABPS longitudinal assessments and two QI components of continuous certification within a diplomate’s 10-year cycle.
• American Board of Surgery: 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ every other year for successful completion of the ABS continuing certification assessment and any specialty certificate assessments.
• Reciprocity Agreements
• The AMA has agreements with some ABMS boards to receive CME credit for board certification or MOC without the diplomates having to apply individually.
• If you are a member of the American Board of Dermatology (ABD), the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI), the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) or the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) please contact your board to learn more about these programs.

OR

• Focused Practice Designation
• Refer to the ABMS website to confirm ABMS Member Boards which have approved Focused Practice Designations.
• The application must include a copy of the focus practice designation certificate or your specialty board notification letter. The certificate date will match the date of completion of your submitted certificate or notification letter.

• The live activity must be designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™, and the accredited CME provider of the activity has not already awarded credit for this presentation.
• This credit is for preparing and presenting an original presentation and may only be claimed once for a repeated presentation. The amount of redeemable credit is as follows:
• If activity was in 2022 or earlier, it's eligible for up to two (2) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ per hour of presentation time.
• If activity was on January 1, 2023 or later, it's eligible for up to four (4) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ per hour of presentation time.
• Your application must include a copy of the page(s) used by the provider to announce or describe the activity, with the name of the applicant speaker, the accredited CME provider, AMA Credit Designation Statement, date and location of the activity.

• Eligible for 10 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ per article.
• Applicant must appear as the first listed or last listed author, and the article must be a peer-reviewed article in a journal included in the MEDLINE^®/PubMed^® bibliographic database.
• Your application must include the DOI of the article.

• Eligible for 5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ per poster.
• Applicant must be listed as the first author included in the published abstracts for a conference or activity that is certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™.
• Your application must include a copy of the page(s) in the published activity documents that lists the author and poster abstract, accredited CME provider, AMA Credit Designation Statement, title and date of the activity.

• Eligible for 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™.
• Degree programs must be medically related, for example, a Masters in Public Health. Credit cannot be claimed if individual courses within the program are already certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™.
• Your application must include a copy of the diploma or final transcript that indicates the degree and date of completion. A final transcript may be requested in instances where it is not immediately apparent the degree is medically related.

• Eligible for 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ for each year of participation in a residency or fellowship program.
• Your application must include a letter from the Program Director or the Certificate of Completion of the Residency Program, verifying the dates of participation and completion of the program.
• Apply online - or download an application.

• Any physician who completed select activities that do not already award CME credit can use this application to claim credit directly from the AMA PRA Credit System.
• Additionally, non-MD doctorate level professionals who have met the requirements of the American Board of Medical Genetics or the American Board of Radiology can use the Direct credit application to get a Certificate of Participation.
• You do not need to be an AMA member to apply for Direct Credit.

• The American Medical Association recognizes the doctorate level professionals who have met board maintenance of certification criteria established by American Board of Medical Genetics and American Board of Radiology. Learn more.

Each activity must be successfully completed within the last 6 years for it to be recognized for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™.

For ACGME-accredited Residency and Fellowship Programs, residents and fellows who are AMA members can receive a credit certificate at no charge.

For all other Direct Credit activities:

• For AMA members, the standard processing fee is $30 per activity category.
• For non-AMA members, the standard processing fee is $75 per activity category.

Please note above costs are per activity category and not per application. Applications may include multiple activity categories; each will have a separate processing fee.

Your card will not be charged until your application has been approved. You will only be charged for qualified activities.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

• Approved PRA award(s) will be emailed once processed.
• Contact AMA Ed Hub support with questions Mon. - Fri. 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT at 1-800-621-8335.
• Standard processing takes four business weeks from the date the application is received.
• Once the payment is processed you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the transcript to be downloaded.
• The credit will appear within the Transcript section of your account on the AMA Ed Hub.
• To view all your transcripts on the AMA Ed Hub, you will need to log in or create a free AMA account. Make sure you log in or create a new account by using the same email address you have associated with your Direct Credit application.

You can download a pdf of the application here. Please read the application for instructions on how to submit by mail or fax. Please note that as of July 1, 2019, we are no longer accepting checks.

• View the complete list of approved live and e-learning activities on the EACCME website.
  1. Please note that processing fees paid to the AMA for International Credit Conversion are non-refundable, so before applying check above links to be sure the activity is in on the approved list.
• Your application must include a copy of the certificate of attendance from the EACCME-accredited activity.

For additional information about the agreement with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS), click here.

Visit the EBAC calendar on their website to ensure the activity was certified for EBAC External CME credit. There are separate tabs for various activity types, and for live events you will need to check the box to display archived events (past programs).

To submit an application, you will need to include the following items:

• A copy of the EBAC External CME credit certificate
• Nonrefundable processing fee

For additional information about the agreement with the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology, click here.

The AMA recognizes QCHP-AD activities that award CPD credit, or CPD credit earned from organizations accredited by the QCHP-AD, for the following eligible activities:

• Category 1: Accredited Group Learning Activities including
  • Conferences, symposia, seminars, workshops
  • Educational rounds, including morning report in health-care facilities, Grand rounds, Morbidity and Mortality rounds, tumor boards and case-based discussions
  • Journal clubs
  • Online synchronous or blended group learning activities
• Category 3: Assessment activities including
  • Accredited knowledge assessment programs
  • Accredited simulation

For additional information about the agreement with the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners Accreditation Department, click here

The AMA recognizes RCPSC-accredited CPD providers of MOC credits that are attained through National Specialty Societies and Simulation Programs, for the following eligible activities:

• Section 1: Live face-to-face group learning
• Section 1: Web-based synchronous
• Section 1: Web-based asynchronous
• Section 3: Self-assessment programs (designed to assist the specialist to identity gaps in knowledge)
• Section 3: Simulation activities

Your application must include a copy of the Royal College MOC credit certificate.

For additional information about the agreement with the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada, click here.

• Physicians may apply to convert credits from select international accreditors into AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™. Non-physician health professionals or practitioners will receive a Certificate of Participation.
• You do not need to be an AMA member to apply for International Credit Conversion.

The non-refundable processing fee is $30 for AMA members, and $75 for non-AMA members.

Your application will be processed within three business weeks from the date received.

If a conference you attend abroad is certified for CME credit by an ACCME-accredited provider or an ACCME-recognized state medical society, you will be able to claim CME credit through the provider.

Select international conference may be approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ if the conference was already part of the AMA's International Conference Recognition Program.

Individual physicians cannot request approval for conferences. Conference/event organizers must work directly with the AMA to be a part of this program. You are encouraged to contact cme@ama-assn.org to learn of any upcoming conferences that have been approved.

For conference/event organizers interested in being a part of the AMA's International Conference Recognition program, please visit this page for more information.

You can download the applications below. Please read the application for instructions on how to submit by mail or fax. Please note that as of July 1, 2019, we are no longer accepting checks.

• Application for EACCME credit conversion
• Application for EBAC credit conversion
• Application for QCHP-AD credit conversion
• Application for RCPSC credit conversion

The AMA Physician's Recognition Award is conferred to physicians who earn an average of 50 CME credits per year, thus have participated in professional life-long learning and met AMA requirements. The AMA offers one, two and three-year PRAs, as well as PRAs with Commendation.

This award is recognized by hospital credentialing bodies, state medical licensure boards and medical specialty certifying boards, as well as many other organizations.

The AMA created this award to recognize physicians who demonstrate a commitment to continued medical education with the ultimate goal of helping improve patient care. This award acknowledges the time you have dedicated to regular maintenance and growth of your knowledge as a health services leader, and it demonstrates your commitment to staying up-to-date with advancements in the medical field.

To be eligible, you must be a physician who holds a current license issued by a jurisdiction in the United States, Canada, or Mexico, or you must be in an ACGME-accredited residency training program in the United States. You do not need to be an AMA member to apply for the PRA.

Earn the PRA with ABMS certification or ACGME-accredited Residency or Fellowship

• Claim a 3 Year standard PRA with the completion of your most recent ABMS member board certification acquired through initial certification or by taking the secure exam. Submit the board certificate or notification letter.
• Claim an ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship for 1-, 2-, or 3-Year Standard PRA. One year of completed residency or fellowship per year of the award. Submit a certificate of completion or a letter from the Residency Program Director.

• At least half of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ and all AMA PRA Category 2 Credits^™ applied toward the Physician's Recognition Award must be within your specialty or area of practice. Ethics, management and physician-patient communication can serve as appropriate topics for CME but are not considered specialty specific education.
• The AMA PRA program also applies AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ on a one-to-one basis to credit you have earned from the following CME systems:
  • American Academy of Family Physicians' prescribed credit
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' formal learning cognates

The following are credit limits for each activity type:

• Teaching at live activities: 10 credits per teaching activity per year
• Internet PoC: 20 credits per year
• Manuscript review: Five reviews or 15 credits per year
• Poster presentation: One poster or five credits per year
• Publishing articles: One published article or 10 credits per year

The AMA grants the award based on the prior one to three years of CME credit attainment. The award's term begins on the first of the month following that last CME activity listed on your application. For example, a physician applying for a three-year award whose last activity was on May 21, 2019, will be issued a certificate valid from June 1, 2019 until June 1, 2022.

• You must list or provide transcripts or certificates for each activity where you claim AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ through an accredited CME provider, the AMA, or one of the organizations with which the AMA has a reciprocal agreement.
• In the instance of a three-year standard certificate for completion of the American Board of Medical Specialties member board certification (MoC^®), you must attach a copy of the certificate or letter from the ABMS board.

• PRA Standard Certificate:
  • For AMA members: $50 for standard processing and $80 for express processing.
  • For non-AMA members: $100 for standard processing and $130 for express processing fee.
• PRA with Commendation Certificate:
  • For AMA members: $70 for standard processing fee and $100 for express processing.
  • For non-AMA members: $140 for standard processing fee and $170 for express processing fee.
• Duplicate copies of any PRA Certificate:
  • AMA members may select up to 3 duplicate copies of the certificate at no charge. Any additional copies are available for $5 each copy.
  • Non-AMA members may request duplicate copies of the certificate for $5 each copy.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

• Due to recent events, our application processing times may be slightly delayed.
• Expedited processing will not be available at this time.
• Approved PRA award(s) will be emailed once processed.
• A paper version of the PRA award will be mailed once our processes are re-set to normal operations.
• Contact AMA Ed Hub support with questions Mon. - Fri. 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT at 1-800-621-8335.

• Standard processing takes up to three business weeks from the date the application is received.
• You will receive a printed certificate which will be mailed to you at the address specified on the application.
• You will also be able to print a temporary certificate from the Transcript section of your account on the AMA Ed Hub

You can download a pdf of the application here. Please read the application for instructions on how to submit by mail or fax. Please note that as of July 1, 2019, we are no longer accepting checks.

Residents and fellows can obtain a 1-, 2- or 3-year AMA PRA commensurate with the number of years completed in the residency or fellowship program. The cost of an AMA PRA is $100. Residents and fellows who are AMA members can receive the AMA PRA at no charge, as a benefit of membership. Apply online - or download an application.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ recognizes that a physician has participated in an educational activity, and completed all requirements for such an activity, that is expected to “serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public or the profession” as stated in the AMA's definition of CME.

The AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ is used to demonstrate meeting CME requirements established by hospital credentialing bodies, state medical boards, medical specialty certifying boards, medical specialty societies, Joint Commission and other organizations. AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ is the most commonly accepted form of CME credit for physicians and is also the basis for receiving the AMA Physician's Recognition Award.

You can earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ in three ways:

1. By participating in certified activities sponsored by U.S.-based CME providers accredited by either the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or an ACCME-recognized State Medical Society, including CME credit activities on the AMA Ed Hub™.
2. By participating in certain activities recognized by the AMA as valid educational activities. Physicians receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™ for these activities directly from the AMA. See our Direct Credit conversion section for additional information.
3. By participating in certain international activities recognized by the AMA, including its International Conference Recognition Program. See our International Credit Conversion section for additional information.

For additional information, you can download of copy of the AMA PRA Credit System - Frequently asked questions for physicians here.