License renewal · Illinois physicians
Illinois Physician CME: 150 Hours and the Sexual Harassment, Implicit Bias and Dementia Mandates
What Illinois MDs and DOs must complete for the July 31, 2029 renewal: the 150-hour rule, the 60 formal hours, which mandated topics recur every cycle and which only every six years, and the 2026 and 2027 law changes most summaries leave out.
Reviewed October 2026 against 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1285.110 and Part 1130, 20 ILCS 2105, 720 ILCS 570/315.5 and IDFPR guidance
Short answer: Illinois physicians licensed under the Medical Practice Act must complete 150 hours of CME in each 36-month prerenewal period, with at least 60 hours from formal programs. Inside those hours, every renewal needs 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention and 1 hour of implicit bias awareness, while safe opioid prescribing (for controlled substance prescribers), cultural competency and Alzheimer's and dementia training (for physicians who see adults 26 and older) are now due once every six years. The 2026 renewal has closed, so the hours you earn from August 1, 2026 count toward the July 31, 2029 renewal.
Key takeaways
- The base rule is 150 hours per prerenewal period, defined as the 36 months before July 31 of the renewal year, with a minimum of 60 formal hours and a maximum of 90 informal hours.
- The 2026 renewal deadline was extended to August 31, 2026 by an IDFPR variance, but the extension changed only the renewal date, not the 36-month CME window that ended July 31, 2026.
- Public Act 103-0531 (effective January 1, 2025) added a 1-hour cultural competency requirement, let triennial renewers complete mandated topics other than sexual harassment and implicit bias within two renewal periods (in practice, every six years), and cut the opioid requirement from 3 hours to 1.
- From July 1, 2026, physicians who report providing prenatal or postnatal care must take an implicit bias hour that covers maternal health risk factors, under Public Act 104-0061.
- From January 1, 2027, a course on perimenopause and menopause may count toward the implicit bias hour, under Public Act 104-0755.
- Sexual harassment and implicit bias hours must come from the provider types listed in IDFPR rules (or qualifying employer training), so a course from an unlisted provider cannot be used to satisfy those two mandates.
The 150-hour rule and how the 60 formal hours work
The Illinois CME requirement for physicians lives in the Medical Practice Act of 1987 and its rules at 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1285.110. Both MDs and DOs hold the same Illinois "Physician and Surgeon" license, so the same rules apply to both. To renew, a licensee "shall be required to complete 150 hours of CME per prerenewal period". The prerenewal period is the 36 months before July 31 of the renewal year, which means the hours must fall inside that window. Hours earned before it, or after the deadline, do not count.
Formal hours: what the rule actually says
Many summaries say "60 hours of Category 1." The rule does not use that phrase. It requires at least 60 hours from "formal CME programs," which include programs from approved sponsors, programs run by medical and osteopathic schools, approved postgraduate clinical training, and CME programs required for certification or recertification by specialty boards and professional associations. The rule names the recognized sponsors: the ACCME and the organizations it accredits, the Illinois State Medical Society and its affiliates, the American Osteopathic Association's Council on Continuing Medical Education, the Illinois Osteopathic Medical Society, and other organizations the Division approves. In practice, AMA PRA Category 1 Credit from an ACCME-system provider, or AOA Category 1 credit, is the simplest way to show formal hours, but the legal test is the sponsor and program type, not the credit label.
All 150 hours may be formal. The informal side, up to 90 hours, covers activities such as journal reading, consultation with peers and medical experts, teaching health professionals, medical writing, self-assessment, preceptorships, formal peer review and quality assurance work, and using electronic databases in patient care. The rule requires you to document each informal activity with the dates and a brief description, so a running log is worth keeping from the start of the cycle.
Other details that affect how you count
- One CME hour is 60 minutes. After the first full hour, credit can be claimed in 30-minute increments.
- Hours cannot be counted toward more than one renewal period, so there is no carryover of extra hours into the next cycle.
- CME completed in another jurisdiction counts if that jurisdiction approved it.
- An AMA Physician Recognition Award (AMA PRA) certificate is accepted as proof of the 150 hours for physicians licensed to practice medicine.
- From January 1, 2026, simulation training by an approved sponsor may count toward CE for health care professionals, as specified in each licensing Act or rule.
If you hold licenses in several states, the parent guide on physician license renewal requirements by state compares California, Texas, Florida and New York; this page goes deeper on Illinois only.
Where the cycle stands: 2026 is closed and July 31, 2029 is next
Illinois physician licenses all expire on the same date, July 31 of every third year. The most recent renewal was 2026, and it came with an unusual twist. On July 20, 2026 IDFPR issued a variance extending the renewal deadline for licenses under the Medical Practice Act from July 31 to August 31, 2026, citing its transition to new data and operating systems. The variance modified only the expiration-date rule and states that it does not waive or modify any other rule, so the CME window for the 2026 renewal still closed on July 31, 2026.
The 36-month window for the 2026 renewal begins.
Cultural competency (1 hour) is added; opioid, cultural competency and dementia topics move to a two-cycle window; the opioid hours drop from 3 to 1.
Adds maternal health content to the implicit bias requirement, applying to renewals on and after July 1, 2026.
Hours for the 2026 renewal had to be earned by this date.
Every CME hour from today counts toward the next renewal.
Last day to renew under the IDFPR variance without the license lapsing.
A perimenopause and menopause course may count toward the implicit bias hour.
150 hours, the every-renewal topics and any six-year topic that has come due must be complete.
Do not assume a future renewal will be extended. The 2026 variance was a one-off tied to a systems change, and the rule for CME timing remains the 36 months before July 31 of the renewal year.
Illinois mandated CME topics: the full checklist
Illinois layers a set of required topics on top of the 150 hours. All of them can count toward the 150 hours rather than adding to it. The table shows who each one applies to and how often, as of October 2026.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Who | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual harassment prevention | 1 | Every renewal, including the first renewal | All IDFPR licensees | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.5; 68 IAC 1130.400 |
| Implicit bias awareness | 1 | Every renewal that requires CE | Health care professionals with CE requirements, including physicians | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7; 68 IAC 1130.500 |
| Maternal health content in the implicit bias hour | Within the same 1 hour | Renewals on and after July 1, 2026 | Physicians who report providing prenatal or postnatal care | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7(b), P.A. 104-0061 |
| Safe opioid prescribing | 1 | Statute says each prerenewal period; Section 2105-375 allows two renewal periods (every six years) | Physicians licensed to prescribe controlled substances | 720 ILCS 570/315.5 as amended by P.A. 103-0531; 20 ILCS 2105/2105-375 |
| Cultural competency | 1 | Before the first CE renewal, then every six years | All licensees with CE requirements | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-370 and 2105-375 |
| Alzheimer's disease and other dementias | 1 | Before the first CE renewal, then every six years | Physicians with direct care of adults 26 and older | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365 and 2105-375 |
| Mandated reporter (child abuse) | DCFS training | At least every six years if you work with children; attest at each renewal | Physicians as mandated reporters | 325 ILCS 5/4 |
Sources: IDFPR Continuing Education Requirements page; 20 ILCS 2105; 720 ILCS 570/315.5; 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1130; checked October 2026.
The six-year rhythm comes from Section 2105-375, added by Public Act 103-0531. For professions that renew every three years, all statutorily mandated topics must be completed within two renewal periods, with two stated exceptions: implicit bias and sexual harassment training "must be completed as provided by law," which means every renewal, and dementia training must be done before the end of the first renewal period. IDFPR's continuing education page applies this as "once every six years" for cultural competency and dementia training.
Every renewal: sexual harassment prevention and implicit bias
Sexual harassment prevention (1 hour)
Every individual IDFPR licensee, physician or not, must complete sexual harassment prevention training before renewing, and IDFPR's rule sets it at 1 hour, repeated for each renewal period. IDFPR's guidance is explicit that this starts with the first renewal after initial licensure and also applies to reinstatement and restoration. That matters because physicians at their first renewal are exempt from the 150-hour rule but not from this hour.
The rule at 68 IAC 1130.400 sets the content (sexual harassment under the Illinois Human Rights Act, examples of unlawful conduct, federal and state law and remedies, and employer responsibilities) and lists who may provide it: Division-approved CE providers, entities recognized as CE providers under a Division-administered Act, state, county and municipal agencies, federal agencies, accredited colleges and universities, and licensed health care institutions for their own staff. A course from the Illinois Department of Human Rights, or your employer's annual training if it meets the Human Rights Act minimums, also qualifies. Many hospital-employed physicians therefore already have this hour through annual workplace training and only need to keep the certificate.
Implicit bias awareness (1 hour)
Health care professionals with CE requirements, including physicians, must complete at least a one-hour implicit bias awareness course per renewal period. Unlike sexual harassment training, IDFPR says it starts with the first renewal that requires CE, so a physician at a first renewal does not need it yet. The rule at 68 IAC 1130.500 requires the course to explain what implicit bias is and how it differs from explicit bias, how it forms, the harm it causes, and how to recognize, interrupt and mitigate it, and it uses almost the same list of permitted provider types as the sexual harassment rule (it also allows an association partnering with a licensed health care institution), plus an employer-developed course that meets the standards. Implicit bias training completed for another state, an accreditor or your institution can count if it meets those standards, and one course covers every license you hold.
The maternal health addition and the 2027 menopause option
Public Act 104-0061 added a targeted requirement: on and after July 1, 2026, a health care professional who reports to IDFPR that they provide maternal health care services and is renewing must take an implicit bias hour that includes training on maternal health risk factors for childbearing people in marginalized racial or ethnic groups with higher maternal mortality. Maternal health care services means prenatal care or postnatal care, and postnatal care means a post-pregnancy office visit within 12 months after birth. Two points are easy to miss. It is not an extra hour: it is content the existing implicit bias hour must contain. And it reaches beyond obstetricians, since family physicians, emergency physicians and others who provide prenatal or postnatal visits fall within the definition.
Public Act 104-0755, effective January 1, 2027, keeps that maternal health rule and adds that a course on perimenopause and menopause may count toward the implicit bias requirement. For how Illinois compares with California, Michigan and other states on implicit bias, see the cross-state guide to implicit bias training requirements by state.
Because 68 IAC 1130.400 and 1130.500 limit who may deliver these two hours, choose an approved CE sponsor, a public agency, a college or university, your own licensed health care institution, or employer training that meets the rule's standards. Our courses are education and do not satisfy the Illinois sexual harassment or implicit bias requirement.
Every six years: opioid prescribing, cultural competency and dementia
These three topics are each 1 hour and each counts toward the 150. IDFPR's continuing education page states "once every six years" for cultural competency and dementia; for the opioid hour, the six-year rhythm comes from the two-renewal-period window in Section 2105-375, which covers all statutorily mandated topics, since IDFPR's page does not address the opioid hour separately. If you completed one of them during August 2023 to July 2026, it carries you through the 2029 renewal, and the next hour belongs in the 2029 to 2032 cycle. If you did not, it should be finished before July 31, 2029.
Safe opioid prescribing
Every prescriber licensed to prescribe controlled substances must complete continuing education on safe opioid prescribing practices, offered or accredited by a professional association or a state or federal agency. Public Act 103-0531 replaced "3 hours" with "one hour" in 720 ILCS 570/315.5, tied the section to the federal training requirement in Section 1263 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, and kept the rule that the hour counts toward license renewal CE. The online compiled statute may still display the older 3-hour wording.
Cultural competency
For renewals on or after January 1, 2025, licensees with CE requirements must complete at least 1 hour of cultural competency training, which counts toward their minimum hours; IDFPR says it is due before the first renewal that requires CE, then every six years. IDFPR's guidance describes cultural competency as “a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills.”
Alzheimer's and other dementias
Physicians with direct care of adults aged 26 or older need at least 1 hour covering assessment and diagnosis, effective communication strategies, and management and care planning. It must be done before the first renewal that requires CE, then every six years.
The opioid hour is a state requirement and separate from the federal MATE Act, which asks DEA registrants to attest to a one-time 8 hours of training on substance use disorders. The two have different rules, providers and records; the MATE Act 8-hour training guide covers the federal side.
An internist first licensed in Illinois in 2024
Dr. A received an Illinois license in March 2024, so the July 2026 renewal was a first renewal. The 150-hour rule did not apply, and neither did implicit bias training, but the 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention did. For the July 31, 2029 renewal, Dr. A needs 150 hours earned between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2029 (at least 60 formal), 1 hour each of sexual harassment prevention and implicit bias, the dementia and cultural competency hours (both due before the first renewal that requires CE), and the opioid hour if Dr. A holds controlled substance authority and did not complete it in the 2023 to 2026 cycle. Every one of those topic hours can count toward the 150.
Illustrative only. Based on 68 IAC 1285.110(a)(4) and IDFPR's Continuing Education Requirements page.
Mandated reporter training runs on its own clock
Physicians are mandated reporters under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. IDFPR explains the renewal effect this way: physicians who work with children must complete mandated reporter training at least every six years, covering recognition of abuse and neglect, the reporting process and documentation, a trauma-informed response, and the role of child protective services, and must attest at each renewal. Physicians who do not work with children may attest at each renewal instead of retaking the training. Since January 1, 2021, the training may count toward CE for professions that require it.
DCFS offers a free online course, "Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Training for Mandated Reporters," through its Mandated Reporter Portal. You are expected to report completion to your employer and IDFPR and to keep your own record. New York and Pennsylvania handle this very differently, with one-time and per-renewal approved courses, as set out in the comparison of mandated reporter training in New York and Pennsylvania.
New licensees, reinstatements and physicians living outside Illinois
Illinois does not prorate the 150 hours. Instead, the rule gives a clean exemption: a renewal applicant "shall not be required to comply with CME requirements for the first renewal of an Illinois license," and the same applies to a license reinstated to active status during the prerenewal period. The topic mandates sit in different laws, so they do not all follow that exemption.
First renewal: not required
The 150 total hours and the 60 formal hours. Implicit bias training, which IDFPR says begins with the first renewal that requires CE. Cultural competency and dementia, which IDFPR says are due before the first renewal that requires CE. The opioid hour comes from the Controlled Substances Act rather than the CME rule, so do not assume the first-renewal exemption covers it.
First renewal: still required
The 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention, which IDFPR says starts with the first renewal after initial licensure. The mandated reporter attestation at renewal. Accurate answers on the renewal application.
Residency does not trigger a separate rule. Up to 12.5 hours per month of approved postgraduate clinical training can be claimed as formal CME, which matters for physicians who are still in training at a later renewal. Physicians who hold an Illinois license but live and practice in another state must still meet the Illinois requirements in full, although CME approved in their home jurisdiction counts toward the 150.
Waivers, audits and the records to keep
Illinois renewal works on attestation. You certify full CME compliance on the renewal application, and the Division may later ask for proof such as certificates of attendance. The rule places record keeping on you and sets no retention period for licensees, while sponsors must keep attendance records for at least 5 years. Keeping your evidence until the end of the following cycle is a sensible margin. If an audit request does arrive and the records fall short, the steps in what happens after a failed CME audit apply.
How to request a waiver
Ask before the renewal date
A waiver request must be made before the renewal date. A late request does not get the protection below.
Explain the grounds
The rule lists full-time military service, a temporary incapacitating illness documented by a licensed physician, temporary undue hardship and similar circumstances. Hardship is decided case by case.
Keep practicing while it is decided
An applicant who requests a waiver before the license expires is treated as in good standing until the Division makes a decision.
Plan the make-up
Note any conditions in the decision and schedule the outstanding hours early in the next cycle, keeping them separate from that cycle's own 150.
Common mistakes Illinois physicians make with CME
- Counting the 2026 extension as extra CME time. The variance moved the renewal date to August 31, 2026, not the July 31 end of the prerenewal period.
- Banking extra hours for the next cycle. Hours cannot be counted toward more than one renewal period, so a surplus in 2026 does not reduce the 2029 total.
- Treating mandated topics as additional to the 150. Every topic hour can count toward the total, so a well-planned cycle needs only 150 hours.
- Assuming the first renewal needs nothing. The sexual harassment hour still applies at the first renewal.
- Using any online course for the implicit bias or sexual harassment hour. Part 1130 limits the provider types, so check the provider before you enroll.
- Missing the maternal health content. If you provide prenatal or postnatal visits, a generic implicit bias course may no longer be enough from July 1, 2026.
- Leaving informal hours undocumented. Informal activities count only if you record the dates and a brief description at the time.
A planning checklist for the 2026 to 2029 cycle
- Start a CME log dated from August 1, 2026, separating formal and informal hours.
- Aim for at least 60 formal hours from a recognized sponsor; board recertification activities count.
- Book this cycle's sexual harassment prevention hour with an approved provider or your employer.
- Book this cycle's implicit bias hour, and confirm it includes maternal health content if you provide prenatal or postnatal care.
- Check your 2023 to 2026 certificates for the opioid, cultural competency and dementia hours; schedule any you lack before July 31, 2029.
- Confirm whether you work with children and keep evidence of current DCFS mandated reporter training if you do.
- Store every certificate where you can produce it quickly if IDFPR asks.
- Diary early 2029 to review the IDFPR requirements page and the renewal notice for any changes.
Mandated hours cover a narrow list of topics. Many physicians use the informal side of the 150 to strengthen areas the mandates do not reach, such as professional conduct, communication and honest renewal practice, which are also the areas most often raised in board complaints.
Professionalism in U.S. Healthcare Practice
A self-paced course on professionalism and the law, disruptive behavior and teamwork, professional communication, impairment and well-being, the duty to report, online conduct, and license renewal honesty and CE compliance, with case studies, a 20-question assessment and a written reflection. It can support the informal, self-directed learning you document in your log; it does not count as formal CME or satisfy any Illinois mandated topic.
Our courses are education.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next Illinois physician license renewal?
July 31, 2029. Illinois physician licenses expire together on July 31 of every third year, and the 2029 prerenewal period runs from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2029. The 2026 renewal deadline was extended to August 31, 2026, but that extension has passed.
Do DOs in Illinois have different CME requirements from MDs?
No. MDs and DOs hold the same Physician and Surgeon license under the Medical Practice Act and follow the same 150-hour rule and topic mandates. Osteopathic sponsors, including the AOA's Council on Continuing Medical Education and the Illinois Osteopathic Medical Society, are recognized for formal hours.
Does my employer's annual harassment training count?
Usually, yes. IDFPR's rule accepts an employer's sexual harassment prevention training if it meets the minimum requirements of the Illinois Human Rights Act, as well as courses from licensed health care institutions for their own staff. Keep the completion record with your CME file.
I don't prescribe opioids. Do I still need the opioid hour?
The statute applies to every prescriber licensed to prescribe controlled substances, so it turns on whether you hold Illinois controlled substance authority, not on how often you prescribe opioids. If you hold no Illinois controlled substance license, the requirement does not apply.
Can one implicit bias course cover my Illinois and California licenses?
Illinois accepts implicit bias training completed for another state's licensure requirement if it meets the Illinois content standards in 68 IAC 1130.500. Whether California accepts an Illinois course is a separate question under California's own rules, so check both before relying on one course.
Do pathologists and radiologists need the dementia hour?
The dementia requirement applies to physicians who have direct patient contact with adults aged 26 and older. A physician with no direct patient care of that group falls outside it, but should be prepared to explain that position if asked.
What happens if I renewed in 2026 without finishing all my hours?
Renewal is an attestation of full compliance, so an inaccurate attestation is the main risk, not the shortfall itself. If you realize hours are missing, gather your records and consider contacting IDFPR rather than waiting for an audit; hours you complete now count toward 2029, not retroactively toward 2026.
Official sources
- Illinois General Assembly (JCAR): 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1285.110, Continuing Medical Education (CME)
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation: Continuing Education (CE) Requirements
- IDFPR: Variance extending the 2026 renewal deadline for Medical Practice Act licenses (July 2026)
- Illinois General Assembly: 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.5, Sexual harassment prevention training
- Illinois General Assembly: 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7, Implicit bias awareness training
- Illinois General Assembly: 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias training
- Illinois General Assembly: 20 ILCS 2105/2105-370, Cultural competency training
- Illinois General Assembly: 720 ILCS 570/315.5, Opioid prescriber education
- Illinois General Assembly: 325 ILCS 5/4, Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, persons required to report
- Illinois General Assembly (JCAR): 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.400, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
- Illinois General Assembly (JCAR): 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.500, Implicit Bias Awareness Training
- Illinois General Assembly: Public Act 103-0531 (HB 2450), cultural competency and limits on mandated training
- Illinois General Assembly: Public Act 104-0061 (HB 2517), maternal health implicit bias training
- Illinois General Assembly: Public Act 104-0755, implicit bias training and perimenopause and menopause courses
- Illinois General Assembly: Public Act 104-0337, simulation training for continuing education
Checked October 2026.