Welcome to the Medical Board of California

"Instructions and Information for Physician's and Surgeon's License Renewal"

This booklet is provided to assist you with making the correct decisions when renewing your physician's and surgeon's license. Prior to completing the renewal application, please read all instructions and information on all alternative license status classifications to ensure that your renewal will be processed in a timely manner.

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Contact Us

Address

MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
LICENSING PROGRAM
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815

Web Site

www.mbc.ca.gov
The Medical Board of California's Web site contains various categories of public and disciplinary information on physicians, including links to other informational Web sites. This information is updated on a regular basis.

Phone Numbers

Cashiering/Renewal Section (916) 263-2637
CME Coordinator (916) 263-2645
Fictitious Name Permits (916) 263-2474
License Verification (800) 633-2322
Request for Records (800) 633-2322
Initial Licensing Information (800) 633-2322
Consumer Information Unit
(Telephone Center)
(800) 633-2322
(916) 263-2382

LICENSE RENEWAL INFORMATION

IMPORTANT! Prior to completing the renewal application, please read all instructions and information on alternative license status classifications to ensure that your renewal will be processed in a timely manner.

Address of Record Change

California law requires physicians to report every change of address to the Board within 30 days of the address change, reporting both the old and new address. If the new address being reported is a post office box (P.O. Box), the physician also is required by law to provide the Board with a (separate) confidential street address. Address changes must be reported in writing to the Board's Licensing Program, Licensing Operations Section. They may be faxed or mailed, see Contact Us.

Important!!!

California law requires the Board to provide, upon written or verbal request, the address of a physician. The address of record may be released to any individual or entity who inquires. A physician should carefully consider the address of record he or she provides to the Board, and may choose to provide:

  1. A post office box as the address of record that will be listed for public information. However, a (separate) street address also must be provided to the Board which will be regarded as a confidential address; or,
  2. The physician's employer's address, billing address or the address of a family member or friend. Please ensure that you receive permission from the appropriate party for the use of an address other than your own.

Special Note: Please be aware that in addition to the requirement that your address of record be disclosed to those that inquire, your address of record will appear on the Board's Web site. The Board also will use your address of record to mail your physician's license, license renewal notices and ALL other official correspondence.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Medical Board of California (Board) regulations requires each physician to complete not less than 50 hours of approved continuing medical education during each two-year period immediately preceding the expiration date of the license except as permitted by Section 1337(d). If an initial license was issued for less than 13 months, only 25 hours of continuing medical education must be completed. The Board recognizes those credits that the California Medical Association (CMA), the American Medical Association (AMA), or the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) designate as meeting the criteria for Category 1 credit, and coursework offered by other providers who meet the Board's criteria for approved CME set forth in its regulations

INSTRUCTIONS

To renew his or her license, each physician who has been licensed in California must certify compliance with the CME requirement. You must answer yes or no to each CME statement and certify that you meet all of the CME requirements, or that you meet the conditions which would exempt you from all or part of the requirements, or that you hold a permanent CME waiver. It constitutes unprofessional conduct for any physician to misrepresent his or her compliance with CME requirements. To promote compliance, the Board conducts random audits. Those physicians selected for the audit are required to submit acceptable documentation of their CME attendance to verify compliance with the CME requirement.

If you have been licensed for less than two calendar years, a normal renewal cycle, you must report your progress toward compliance with the CME requirement. If you have not completed sufficient CME hours, you either must make them up prior to the next renewal of your license, or request a waiver from the Board. If a waiver is approved, you may be exempt from CME for that renewal period. If the waiver is denied, you will be required to make up all deficient hours over your next renewal period and document to the Board 100 CME hours by the end of that renewal period. Failure to do so will make you ineligible to renew your license until the hours have been satisfactorily documented to the Board.

Regulations require that each physician maintain records for a minimum of four years of all CME programs attended which indicates the title of the course or program attended, dates of attendance, the number of hours received for successfully completing the course, the length of the course, the sponsoring organization and the accrediting organization which may be needed in the event of an audit.

Residencies or Clinical Fellowships

Physicians currently participating in an approved postgraduate residency training program or an approved clinical fellowship are credited with the equivalent of 6 hours of approved CME for each month of participation and meet the CME requirement.

Continuing Medical Education CME) Waivers

If you hold a CME waiver from the Board for the current renewal period, you must certify that you are in compliance with the CME requirement.

AMA's Physician Recognition Award

A maximum of 60 hours of continuing medical education shall be granted and applied to the CME requirement for renewal to a physician for receiving the AMA's Physician Recognition Award.

Credit for Board Certification or Recertification

Any physician who takes and passes a certifying or recertifying examination administered by a recognized specialty board shall be granted credit for four consecutive years (100 hours) of continuing education for relicensure purposes. Such credit may be applied retroactively or prospectively.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Board's CME coordinator. See Contact Us.

Disciplinary Action Disclosure

When renewing, each licensee must disclose whether they have had any license disciplined by a government agency or other disciplinary body, or, have been convicted of any crime in any state, the USA and its territories, military court or a foreign country. License includes permits, registrations and certificates.

Conviction includes a plea of no contest and any conviction that has been set aside or deferred pursuant to sections 1000 or 1203.4 of the Penal Code, including infractions, misdemeanor, and felonies. You do not need to report a conviction for an infraction with a fine of less than $300 unless the infraction involved alcohol or controlled substances.

Discipline includes, but is not limited to, suspension, revocation, voluntary surrender, probation, or any other restriction.

For additional information, please contact the Medical Board's Consumer Information Unit, see Contact Us.

Family Physician Training Fee - $25 Contribution

As you renew your license, you will notice that there is an area on the license renewal application which allows you to contribute $25 to provide training for family physicians and other primary care providers who will serve medically underserved rural and inner-city Californians, refugees, the frail elderly, and people with AIDS.

This voluntary program was established as a result of legislation authored by the late Dr. William Filante and is supported by the California Medical Association, the California Academy of Family Physicians and other leading health care organizations. Dr. Filante's bill authorized the State's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) to accept contributions from certain foundations, health maintenance organizations, health insurers, and other entities to augment these primary care training programs that are located in hospitals throughout California. All funds contributed will be matched with equal amounts from the University of California and the State General Fund. For more information on the Family Physician Training Program, please contact OSHPD at 1600 9th Street, Room 433, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Financial Interest Disclosure

California's Financial Interest Disclosure law (Business and Professions Code section 2426) requires you to disclose any financial interest that you or your immediate family members may have in specified health-related facilities. This information will be available to other government agencies and public and private third-party payers.

INSTRUCTIONS

To comply with the financial interest disclosure requirement each physician must: disclose any interests you or your immediate family members have in health-related facilities and certify under penalty of perjury that you have made the disclosure or that you have no interests to disclose.

The following information is provided to assist you with completing the financial interest statement. The hypothetical situations given address some of the more commonly asked questions by physicians on the requirements for financial interest disclosure and are not intended to include all circumstances.

Some situations may be complex, involving subject matter such as facility space subleasing or multi-user shared services. If your particular situation is one that is not easily determined with the use of the information included here, you are encouraged to consult with independent legal counsel for assistance.

You also may submit your questions in writing to the Medical Board's Licensing Program. However, please be aware that a response may not reach you prior to the expiration of your license. As there are no time extensions granted for renewal, you will be required to complete the financial interest statement and renew your license prior to its expiration date.

Financial Interest Definitions

FINANCIAL INTEREST means and includes any type of ownership interest including share or stock ownership, limited partnership interest, debt, loan, lease, compensation, remuneration, general or limited partnership interest, discount, rebate, refund, dividend, distribution, subsidy, or other form of direct or indirect payment of money or anything else of value to a licensee or the licensee's immediate family from a health-related facility. It also includes an ownership interest in an entity, corporation, or partnership that leases property to a health-related facility.

A financial interest does not include the ownership of corporate investment securities, including shares, bonds, or other debt instruments that (1) are purchased from a licensed securities broker on terms available to the general public through a licensed securities exchange or NASDAQ, (2) do not base any profit distributions or other transfers of value on the licensee's referral of patients, (3) do not have a separate class or accounting for any persons who may make patient referrals to the corporation, and (4) are in a corporation which has total gross assets exceeding $100,000,000.

HEALTH-RELATED FACILITY means any facility that provides (1) clinical laboratory services, (2) radiation oncology, (3) physical therapy, (4) physical rehabilitation, (5) psychometric testing, (6) home infusion therapy, (7) diagnostic imaging, or (8) outpatient surgery. Diagnostic imaging includes X-ray, computed axial tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography, mammography, and ultrasound goods and services.

IMMEDIATE FAMILY means a spouse, child or parent of a licensee, and a spouse of a child of a licensee.

Financial Interests - Questions & Answers

  1. Dr. Branch is a radiologist and is sole owner of his diagnostic imaging facility. Dr. Branch provides services only to his patients; he receives no referrals for services. Is Dr. Branch required to list his ownership in his facility as a financial interest?

    2. ANSWER
    YES. Dr. Branch owns an interest in a facility that provides services in one of the 8 types defined in section 2426 and should disclose this interest in the reporting section on Part 3 of the renewal application.

  2. Dr. Westin owns a financial interest in a home health supply company that provides wheelchairs, respiratory equipment and other rehabilitation equipment. Is Dr. Westin required to disclose this ownership as a financial interest?

    3. ANSWER
    NO. The type of service provided by the company Dr. Westin owns interest in is not included in the 8 types of services defined in section 2426.

  3. Dr. Perez's spouse's parents have ownership in a clinic that provides outpatient surgical services. Is Dr. Perez required to disclose this interest as being one owned by his immediate family?

    4. ANSWER NO. Dr. Perez's father-in-law and mother-in-law are not included in the definition of immediate family per section 2426

Physician Profile on MBC's Web Site

The Medical Board of California has a Web site which contains various categories of public and disciplinary information on physicians, including links to other informational Web sites. This information is updated on a regular basis.

Check your physician profile on to Board's Web site at www.mbc.ca.gov. If any information contained in your profile is inaccurate, please send your written changes to the Board's Consumer Information Unit, see Contact Us.

Physician Survey

Immediately upon issuance of an initial license and at the time of each license renewal, the Medical Board is required to collect certain data (Business & Professions Code sections 803.1, 2425.1 and 2425.3). The data collected includes: activities in medicine, specialty, zip code within California of physicians who are treating patients, training status, ethnicity, foreign language fluency and email address.

The purpose of the survey is to gain a better understanding of the physician workforce in California and assist consumers in making better informed decisions in choosing a physician. The public information collected on each physician's survey will be included in their physician profile on the Board's Web site. Please note that we will not disclose your email address to the public.

As of February 1, 2007, the Medical Board began updating missing physician survey data. If we do not have your survey, you will be contacted by the Board.

LICENSE CLASSIFICATION INFORMATION

Active License Status

California law requires that to maintain an active license each physician, including out-of-state physicians, must pay the full biennial renewal fee, the mandatory loan repayment fee, comply with the continuing medical education requirement, disclose financial interests in health-related facilities, and disclose license discipline and conviction information at the time of license renewal.

Delinquent License Status

All licenses EXPIRE at 12 midnight on the last day of the birth month of the licensee's two-year term. A delinquent fee equal to 10% of the renewal fee will be added if payment is not received within 30 days following the expiration date. THIS 30-DAY PERIOD IS NOT A GRACE PERIOD. THE LICENSE IS NOT VALID ONCE IT EXPIRES.

If the license is not renewed within 90 days from the date of its expiration, a penalty fee equal to 50% of the renewal fee will be added to the delinquent and renewal fees already owed. Under current provisions of law, an expired license may be reinstated within a period of five years after its expiration by paying the current renewal fee, a delinquent fee, a penalty fee, any other accrued renewal fees, certifying of compliance with the CME requirement, and disclosing of financial interests in health-related facilities.

If you have any questions concerning delinquent or penalty fees, please contact the Board's Cashiering Section. See Contact Us.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Waiver (Exemption from the CME Requirement)

Any physician who is unable to complete the minimum CME requirements due to health, military service or undue hardship may request a CME waiver. Any physician who submits an application for a CME waiver that is denied by the Board, will be allowed to renew his/her license one time; however, you will be required to make up the deficient hours over your next renewal period and document to the Board 100 CME hours by the end of that renewal period. To request a CME waiver application form, please contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit. See Contact Us.

For further information concerning CME and the renewal of your license, please contact the Board's CME coordinator. See Contact Us.

Inactive Status (Exemption from the CME Requirement)

To receive this exemption, a license must be in a current/renewed status; please apply for the status change prior to your expiration date.

Any physician who is not practicing medicine in California may become exempt from the CME requirement by placing his or her license in an inactive status. A physician whose license is in an inactive status must pay the full renewal fee. To reactivate a license, one must submit proof of having completed 50 hours of approved CME credits.

For further information or to request an application form, please contact the Consumer Information Unit of the Medical Board or download the form from the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

Disabled Status

Exempt from payment of the renewal fees but not from the mandatory fee of $25 for the Physician Loan Repayment Program.

To receive this exemption, a license must be in a current/renewed status; please apply for the status change prior to your expiration date.

Any licensee who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Board that he or she is unable to practice medicine due to a disability may request a waiver of the license renewal fee. The granting of a waiver shall be at the discretion of the Board and may be terminated at any time. Waivers shall be based on the inability of a licensee to practice medicine. A licensee whose renewal fee has been waived pursuant to this section shall not engage in the practice of medicine unless and until the licensee pays the current renewal fee and does either of the following:

(a) Establishes to the satisfaction of the Board, on a form prescribed by the Board and signed under penalty of perjury, that the licensee's disability either no longer exists or does not affect his or her ability to practice medicine safely.

(b) Signs an agreement on a form prescribed by the Board, signed under penalty of perjury, in which the licensee agrees to limit his or her practice in the manner prescribed by the reviewing physician.

The holder of a disabled license must comply with the continuing medical education (CME) requirements, unless the holder has applied for and been granted a CME waiver.

For further information or to request an application form, please contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit or download the form from the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

Military Status

Exempt from payment of the renewal fees but not from the mandatory fee of $25 for the Physician Loan Repayment Program.

To receive this exemption, a license must be in a current/renewed status; please apply for the status change prior to your expiration date.

Any physician who is engaged in full-time training or active service in the Armed Forces or in the United States Public Health Service may be eligible for exemption from payment of the renewal fee. Anyone receiving a military exemption may not engage in any private practice, will be liable for payment of the current renewal fee upon discharge from full-time active service, and will have 60 days after becoming eligible within which to pay the renewal fee before delinquent and penalty fees are assessed. Physicians in military status still must meet all Continuing Medical Education (CME) requirements.

For further information or to request an application form, please contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit or download the form from the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

Retired Status

Exempt from payment of the renewal fees but not from the mandatory fee of $25 for the Physician Loan Repayment Program.

To receive this exemption, a license must be in a current/renewed status; please apply for the status change prior to your expiration date.

A licensee who holds a retired license will be exempt from payment of the renewal fees and the CME requirements. However, the holder of a retired license may not engage in the practice of medicine.

For further information or to request an application form, please contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit or download the form from the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

Voluntary Service Status

Exempt from payment of the renewal fees but not from the mandatory fee of $25 for the Physician Loan Repayment Program.

To receive this exemption, a license must be in a current/renewed status. Please apply for the status change prior to your expiration date.
The renewal fee shall be waived for a physician and surgeon who resides in California and certifies to the Board that the license renewal is for the sole purpose of providing voluntary, unpaid service. A licensee whose renewal fee has been waived pursuant to this section must comply with the CME requirements.

For further information or to request an application form, please contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit or download the form from the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

PHYSICIAN REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

A physician licensed in California is required by law to notify the Medical Board of certain specific incidents (e.g. change of name or address, misdemeanor or felony convictions, etc.). For the most current listing of reporting requirements and to download reporting forms, go to the Board's Web site at www.mbc.ca.gov/licensee/reporting_requirements.html.

Name Changes

California law requires physicians to report every change of name to the Board within 30 days of the name change. To report a change of name, a physician must complete and submit a Notification of Name Change form. The form may be requested by calling the Consumer Information Unit or by downloading it from the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

OUTPATIENT SURGERY SETTINGS

California law prohibits physicians from performing some outpatient surgery, unless it is performed in a licensed or accredited setting.

B&P Code section 2216 reads:
"On or after, July 1, 1996, no physician and surgeon shall perform procedures in an outpatient setting using anesthesia, except local anesthesia or peripheral nerve blocks, or both, complying with the community standard of practice, in doses that, when administered, have the probability of placing a patient at risk for loss of the patient's life-preserving protective reflexes, unless the setting is specified in section 1248.1. Outpatient settings where anxiolytics and analgesics are administered are excluded when administered, in compliance with the community standard of practice, in doses that do not have the probability of placing the patient at risk for loss of the patient's life-preserving protective reflexes."

This means that if a physician performs surgery under anesthesia that has the probability of placing the patient at risk of losing life-preserving protective reflexes, then the setting must be licensed or accredited.

The law specifies certain outpatient surgery settings to be excluded from the accreditation requirement, such as ambulatory surgical centers certified to participate in the Medicare program under Title XVIII, health facilities licensed as general acute care hospitals, federally operated clinics, facilities on recognized tribal reservations, and facilities used by dentists or physicians in compliance with Article 2.7 or Article 2.8 of Chapter 4 of Division 2 of the B&P Code, as outlined in H&S Code section 1248.1. A facility does not need to be accredited if it is one specified in that code section.

Physicians presently performing surgery under the anesthesia level described above in unlicensed settings, such as their offices, must seek accreditation from one of the following four accreditation agencies currently approved by the Medical Board.

Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC)
5250 Old Orchard Road, Suite 200
Skokie, IL 60077
Telephone: (847) 853-6060
Fax: (847) 853-9028
Web site: www.aaahc.org

American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF)
5101 Washington Street, Suite 2F
Gurnee, IL 60031
Telephone: (847) 775-1970
Fax: (847) 775-1985
Web site: www.aaaasf.org

The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Telephone: (630) 792-5000
Fax: (630) 792-5005
Web site: www.jointcommission.org

The Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ)
221 Main Street, Suite 210
San Francisco, CA 94105
Telephone: (415) 882-5151
Fax: (415) 882-5149
Web site: www.imq.org

For further information concerning this law, please contact the Consumer Information Unit at or visit the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

LICENSE VERIFICATION

License verifications are available from the Medical Board for $10 each. Send a written request to the Medical Board's Licensing Program. Include your name, California medical license number and the name and address of the licensing agency where each letter should be sent. The request must also include the appropriate fees. This takes approximately 10 business days. License verifications also may be obtained by contacting VeriDoc at www.veridoc.org. The cost is $20; however, the license verification is emailed to another state board the next business day.

For further information, please contact the Board's Consumer Information Unit or visit the Board's Web site. See Contact Us.

MANDATORY BROCHURES TO PATIENTS

Physicians are mandated to provide the following brochures to patients in specific circumstances.

  1. A Patient's Guide to Blood Transfusion (H&S Code section 1645 - Paul Gann Blood Safety Act)
  2. A Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment (H&S Code section 109275)
  3. Gynecologic Cancers - What Women Need to Know (H&S Code section 109278)
  4. Professional Therapy Never Includes Sex (B&P Code section 728)
  5. Things to Consider Before Your Silicone Implant Surgery (B&P Code section 2259 -Cosmetic Implant Act of 1992)
  6. What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer (B&P Code section 2248, H&S Code section 109280 Grant H. Kenyon Prostate Cancer Detection Act)

For complete requirements and ordering information, go to the Board's Web site.

STEVEN M. THOMPSON PHYSICIAN CORPS LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM - $25 FEE

In accordance with B&P Code section 2436.5, effective January 1, 2009, a $25 mandatory fee for the Physician Loan Repayment Program is added to your renewal fee.

Physicians who hold a military, retired, voluntary service or disabled status license also are required to pay the $25 mandatory fee at time of renewal.

The program was established as a result of AB 982 Firebaugh (Statutes 2002, Chapter 1131) to increase access to health care for underserved locations of the state. Physicians are offered medical school loan repayments up to $105,000 in exchange for their service in a designated medically underserved area for a minimum of three years.

The mandatory fee helps provide a continuous source of funding for the program which will allow loan repayments into the future.
For additional information, please call the Health Professions Education Foundation at (916) 326-3640.