Board of Medicine is now LIVE!

October 3, 2022

 

BOARD OF MEDICINE RENEWAL NOTICE

 

Dear Licensee: 

 

DC Health is happy to announce that renewals for the Board of Medicine is now LIVE!

 

The 2022 renewal cycle has begun! We wanted to provide you with some important updates for this renewal year. As occurred in the last renewal period, the Board of Medicine will only accept renewals via the online renewal system (https://dohlicenseinfo.secure.force.com/dchealthrenewals/). We will not accept paper applications, and we will not be issuing paper licenses.    Our new licensure portal has enhanced features such as the ability to upload your continuing education documents and to receive a digital copy of your license within minutes of completing your renewal, assuming there are no items that require further review. Licensees are also encouraged to have any and all supplemental documents (e.g. responses to screening questions, proof of continuing education (CE), etc.) scanned and ready for upload before starting the renewal process to avoid any delays.

 

Once you are ready, you may begin the renewal process by going to the DC Health Licensing Portal Page. On that page you will select the “Apply for License Renewal” tab on the left side of the page:

 

https://dohlicenseinfo.secure.force.com/dchealthrenewals/

 

If this is your first renewal, you will need to create a new username and password.

 

 

Please read the FAQs below before you start your renewal application.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

 

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about renewals:

 

RENEWAL FEES

 

• How much does it cost to renew?
  • CBC Fee                                                                                                                        $50.00
  • MD/DO License                                                                                                          $500.00
  • Physician Assistants                                                                                                    $145.00
  • Acupuncturists                                                                                                             $290.00
  • Anesthesiology Assistants                                                                                           $179.00
  • Naturopathic Physicians                                                                                              $145.00
  • Surgical Assistants                                                                                                      $145.00
  • Polysomnographic Technologists                                                                               $145.00
  • Polysomnographic Trainees                                                                                        $145.00
  • Trauma Technologists                                                                                                 $145.00
  • Late Fee (if received after 12/31/2022)                                                                       $85.00 
  •  

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK (CBC) FEE

 

• Do I need a Criminal Background Check?

All licensees are required to pay a mandatory fee of $50 for the CBC which is a name based search. Everything required to complete the CBC is in the online renewal application.

Licensees are not required to get fingerprinted again at this time. 

 

CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE)

 

• How come I am not able to upload my CE documents?

Several users have stated they are unable to upload proof of having completed their CE.  Our IT department has identified certain issues with document uploads on browsers OTHER than Google Chrome or Firefox.  If you are not using the most up-to-date versions of Google Chrome or Firefox, first try uploading your CE document using these web browsers {Google Chrome/Firefox}.  To submit your uploaded CEs, you must WRITE something in the continuing education DESCRIPTION BOX. For example, you may write “I have uploaded all my CEs or CEs are attached”.

 

Finally, if you still have upload issues, you can submit your renewal application by selecting the "I will have completed my CE by December 31, 2022" option in the CE category of the renewal application.  By selecting this, you can skip the document uploads and proceed with the rest of your application so you may renew your license on time.  Remember, you must complete your CE requirements by December 31, 2022. Failure to do so is a disciplinary matter; means you are technically not qualified for renewal; and, if you checked the “I will have completed my CE by December 31, 2022” option and have not done so, you have provided false information on an official government document.

 

What are my CE requirements?

 

2022 is a renewal year for all licensees under the Board of Medicine. As part of the renewal process, regulations require licensees to complete at least 10% of their required total continuing education hours in topics identified by the Director of the Department of Health as public health priorities.  For example, physicians have a fifty (50) hour requirement so at least five (5) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.  The Director of the Department of Health has identified acceptable public health priorities, a copy of which can be found online HERE. CEs must be taken between January   1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.

 

• Physicians (MD/DO) - Fifty (50) hours of CE every two (2) years, which includes two (2) hours in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency, five (5) hours in a topic designated as a public health priority, and at least one (1) course in the subject of pharmacology.
• Physician Assistants (PA) - One hundred (100) of CE every two (2) years, which includes two (2) hours in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and ten (10) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.  PAs may substitute NCCPA certification for the one hundred (100) hours, however, they will still be required to complete the required hours of CE in the subject area of LGBTQ cultural competency and the public health priorities.
• Naturopathic Physicians (NP) - Thirty (30) hours of CE, which includes two (2) hours of CE in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and three (3) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.  
• Surgical Assistants (SA) - Fifty (50) hours of CE, which includes two (2) hours of CE in the in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and five (5) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.  SAs may substitute certification from ABSA or the NSAA, if said certification required the completion of fifty (50) hours of CE with the two (2) year period preceding renewal.  However, they will still be required to complete the required hours of CE in the subject area of LGBTQ cultural competency and the public health priorities.
• Anesthesiologist Assistants (AA) - Hold certification with the NCCAA, or its successor organization, as well as having completed at least two (2) of CE in the in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and five (5) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.
• Acupuncturists (ACU) - Thirty (30) hours of CE, which includes at least two (2) hours of CE in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and three (3) must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.  For licensees with a certification in Chinese Herbology, at least ten (10) of the total thirty (30) hours need to be in the topic of Chinese herbology.
• Polysomnographic Technologists - Twenty (20) hours of CE, which includes at least two (2) hours of CE in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and two (2) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.  
• Polysomnographic Trainees – First time renewal exempted from continuing education.
• Trauma Technologists - Fifty (50) hours of CE, which includes at least two (2) hours of CE in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and five (5) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.
• Chiropractors – Thirty (30) hours of CE, which includes at least two (2) hours of CE in the subject of LGBTQ cultural competency and three (3) hours must be in a topic designated as a public health priority.

 

For those physicians in need of CME related to pharmacology and/or prescribing, or any other CEs, DC Health offers several free programs via the DC Center for Rational Prescribing.  You can access the DC Center for Rational Prescribing here.

 

ALL First Time Renewal Applicants: If you are renewing for the first time, CEs are not required.

 

 

INFORMATION ABOUT CONTINUING EDUCATION AUDITS

 

•  Will I be audited?

After the renewal you may be audited and required to submit continuing education (CE) documents to the Board. CEs must be taken between January   1, 2021 and December 31, 2022.  The required continuing education units are listed above.

 

PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAM (PDMP)

 

• Is registration in the PDMP required?

 

 

All licensees who “can” prescribe are required by law to register with the PDMP. Failure to do so will cause your license to not be renewed. You may register on the DC PDMP website: https://districtofcolumbia.pmpaware.net/login

 

Licensed practitioners will need the following information to complete their registration:

• DC Professional License Number (including prefix letters)
• DEA Number, if applicable (two letters followed by seven numbers)
• DC Controlled Substance Registration Number, if applicable (including prefix letters)
• Employer National Provider ID (NPI), if applicable

 

After filling out your information successfully, you will be required to verify your email address. Please click the link in the automatically generated email to complete your registration.

 

RENEWAL CONFIRMATION

 

• How can I get confirmation of my renewal?

All licensees who submit a renewal application will receive either a confirmation email that states your license has been approved, along with a digital copy of your new license, or an email that your renewal application has been sent to staff for further review. (Note:  Licensees who place their license in Paid Inactive Status will not receive a digital license.) DC Health is not currently issuing hard copies of the renewed license.

 

Licensees who do not receive a confirmation email should log back into the system and check to ensure you entered the correct email address, as any typos will result in the confirmation email not being sent to you correctly.  Licensees should also check their spam filters to ensure the confirmation email did not accidentally go to their spam junk or trash folders. 

 

If you've checked all of the above, but still have not received either a confirmation email, or a copy of your license, or an email that your application is being reviewed, please submit a "case" to our Customer Support site: https://dohlicenseinfo.secure.force.com/support/.  Our IT department will review any and all reported errors, and we will update our licensees as more information becomes available.

 

PAYMENT ISSUE

 

• Why isn’t my credit card being accepted?

 

The renewal system will only accept Visa or MasterCard credit cards for payment.  Please ensure you entered the correct information for your payment.  Once the payment has been received, a receipt will be sent to your email of record. 

If you are using a Visa or MasterCard, but are still having issues, you should submit a "case" to our Customer Support site: https://dohlicenseinfo.secure.force.com/support/. Our IT department is reviewing any and all reported errors, and we will update our licensees as more information becomes available.

If you have issues with your renewal that are not addressed in the FAQs please submit a “case” to our Customer Support site: https://dohlicenseinfo.secure.force.com/support/ . We are asking users to be patient as we respond to all inquiries and cases on a first come, first serve basis.

 

VACCINATION ATTESTATION

 

On August 27, 2021, regulations were issued requiring the following individuals receive the first dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (i.e., Moderna or Pfizer) or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine no later than September 30, 2021:

 

• Health professionals who are licensed, registered, or certified by the Department of Health, and
• Unlicensed personnel in a Healthcare setting.

 

Failure to meet this requirement can result in disciplinary action including suspension and revocation of

a health professional’s license.

 

For unlicensed personnel, no Healthcare facility, after October 1, 2021, regardless of the date of hire, shall employ, contract, or grant privileges to a person who is not fully vaccinated.

Please follow the below instructions for requesting an exemption.

• For religious exemptions, individuals will need to upload a letter, stating that their vaccination against COVID-19 would violate a sincerely held religious belief and the vaccination would in fact violate a sincerely held religious belief of the person.
• For medical exemption requests, individuals will need to provide the name and license number of the healthcare provider who issued the medical exemption, and then upload a written letter from that licensed healthcare provider stating that being vaccinated against COVID-19 is medically inadvisable due to the person’s medical condition and it is in fact medically inadvisable for the person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
• For the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) exemption, individuals will need to upload proof of vaccination of a W.H.O.-approved vaccine and provide dates of vaccination.
• All exemptions must be reviewed and approved by DC Health.

 

Please use the following link to report your vaccination status or request an exemption:

https://doh.force.com/ver/s/vaccinereporting

 

 

 

HELPFUL TIPS TO REMEMBER

• The deadline for renewal is December 31, 2022 – please do not wait until the last minute to submit your renewal application as it may not be renewed before your current license expires.

 

• CAREFULLY read all renewal screening questions.
• Do not answer “yes” to paid-inactive question unless you intend to be inactive.
• If you respond “yes” to a screening question(s) you MUST provide complete documentation before your license will be renewed.

 

Refer to the Board’s webpage if you have any additional questions regarding the requirements.

 

DC Board of Medicine

 

 

DC Health greatly appreciates your patience during this time and look forward to your feedback.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

DC Board of Medicine

 

• Board of Medicine 2022 Renewal Email Blast10032022.docx