Statement of Scope
Medical Examining Board
Relating to: | Continuing Medical Education for Physicians |
1. Finding/nature of emergency (Emergency Rule only):
N/A
2. Detailed description of the objective of the proposed rule:
The Medical Examining Board will update ch. Med 13 to extend the requirement that 2 of the 30 required continuing medical education (CME) hours per biennium shall be in a course or program related to opioid prescribing into the biennium ending November 2023. Additionally, the Board will re-evaluate and modify or remove the requirement that educational programs related to opioid prescribing be pre-approved by the Board. 3. Description of the existing policies relevant to the rule, new policies proposed to be included in the rule, and an analysis of policy alternatives:
Chapter Med 13 currently requires that licensees take 2 hours of their 30 hours of required CME per biennium in courses or programs related to opioid prescribing for the biennium ending in November 2021. In order to continue this requirement into the next biennium, an update to the rule is required. The Board has also identified a need to re-evaluate the pre-approval requirement for courses or programs related to opioid prescribing. The alternative of not conducting this evaluation and update would be to leave the rules unchanged, which would result in the requirement not continuing into the next biennium, and would limit the courses available to licensees.
4. Detailed explanation of statutory authority for the rule (including the statutory citation and language):
Section 15.08 (5) (b), Stats., provides each examining board “[s]hall promulgate rules for its own guidance and for the guidance of the trade or profession to which it pertains. . .” Section 448.40 (1), Stats., provides that “[t]he board may promulgate rules to carry out the purposes of this subchapter, including rules requiring the completion of continuing education, professional development, and maintenance of certification or performance improvement or continuing medical education programs for renewal of a license to practice medicine and surgery.” 5. Estimate of amount of time that state employees will spend developing the rule and of other resources necessary to develop the rule:
80 hours
6. List with description of all entities that may be affected by the proposed rule:
Wisconsin licensed physicians and providers of continuing medical education for physicians
7. Summary and preliminary comparison with any existing or proposed federal regulation that is intended to address the activities to be regulated by the proposed rule:
None.
8. Anticipated economic impact of implementing the rule (note if the rule is likely to have a significant economic impact on small businesses):
The proposed rule will have minimal to no economic impact on small businesses and the state’s economy as a whole.
