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Seven states won't accept your accredited CME course
In most of the country, an ACCME-accredited AMA PRA Category 1 activity on the right topic satisfies the controlled-substance requirement. In seven jurisdictions it does not — the board either publishes an approved-course list, designates a specific course, or mandates state-specific content the activity must contain. Take the wrong course and the credit is real but ineligible.
Nothing on your CME transcript will tell you. The requirement lives in board rule, not on the course you bought. Most physicians discover the mismatch at renewal or at audit — after the cycle has closed.
The seven, and what each actually demands
Kentucky
4.5 hrs every 3 yrs — use of KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders. Trigger: authorized to prescribe/dispense controlled substances.
Why a general course fails: BOARD PRE-APPROVAL REQUIRED — program must be approved in advance by the KBML; a course must appear on the KBML 'HB 1 Approved CME' list in addition to carrying AMA PRA Cat 1. Hard gate.
Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure · 201 KAR 9:310
Louisiana
3 hrs one-time (before first renewal) — best-practice CDS prescribing, drug diversion, addiction treatment, chronic pain (single curriculum, all four topics). Trigger: CDS-license holders.
Why a general course fails: BOARD PRE-APPROVAL REQUIRED — LSBME designates the approved course; generic AMA Cat 1 is not sufficient on its own. Hard gate (Act 76 / §4005).
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners · La. Admin. Code tit. 46 §XLV.435
Massachusetts
3 credits per 2-yr cycle — opioid education and pain management (also count toward the 10 risk-management credits). Trigger: prescribes controlled substances.
Why a general course fails: EFFECTIVELY DESIGNATION-BASED — the course must meet BORIM's opioid-education + risk-management criteria (243 CMR 2.06), as SCOPE of Pain / NEJM-MMS do. Not simple open generic Cat 1.
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine · 243 CMR 2.06
Oregon
1 hr / 2 yrs — the Oregon Pain Management Commission (OPMC) pain-management module (specific mandated course). Trigger: all actively licensed MD/DO.
Why a general course fails: SPECIFIC MANDATED COURSE — the pain hour MUST be the OPMC module; a generic Cat 1 pain course does not satisfy it. Generic Cat 1 is fine for the rest of the general pool.
Oregon Medical Board · OPMC rule; OMB CME page
Tennessee
2 hrs per 2-yr cycle — controlled-substance prescribing. MUST include the TN Dept. of Health treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol. Trigger: all licensees.
Why a general course fails: MANDATED CURRICULUM (no pre-approval list) — a generic national ACCME Cat 1 opioid course does NOT satisfy TN unless it specifically covers the TN DOH guidelines on the four named drug classes.
Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners · Tenn. Comp. R. 0880-02-.19
Utah
3.5 hrs per period — CS-prescribing classes (+ one-time SBIRT class from 2024). Mandated curriculum incl. FDA Blueprint, Utah-specific resources, medical-cannabis content. Trigger: every CS prescriber.
Why a general course fails: STRONGEST GATE — provider must be DOPL-recognized; DOPL (with UMA Foundation) vets the specific class; a DOPL approved-course list exists. Generic out-of-state ACCME Cat 1 does NOT automatically count.
Utah Division of Professional Licensing · Utah Admin. Code R156-67-304
West Virginia
3 hrs each 2-yr period — Board-approved 'Drug Diversion Training and Best-Practice Prescribing of CS.' Trigger: any MD/DO/PA who prescribed/dispensed CS in the period.
Why a general course fails: BOARD PRE-APPROVAL REQUIRED — the 3-hr course must be on the WV Board of Medicine's published approved list (and separately the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine's list for DOs). Generic ACCME Cat 1 alone is NOT sufficient. Strongest case.
West Virginia Board of Medicine · W. Va. Code §30-3-12
Check your states in about a minute
The free planner flags which of your states accept a general accredited course and which don't, maps every mandate to your actual renewal dates, and schedules the fewest courses that keep all of them satisfied.
Open the free CME planner →Licensed in several states through the Compact? What the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact does and doesn't cover.
Common questions
Why doesn't my AMA PRA Category 1 course count in these states?
Because these seven boards don't accept accreditation alone. Some publish an approved-course list and require the activity to be on it (Kentucky, Utah, West Virginia). Some mandate a specific curriculum the course must cover (Tennessee, Massachusetts). One mandates a single named module (Oregon's OPMC pain module). Louisiana designates the approved course outright. Accreditation makes a course legitimate; it does not make it accepted.
How would I know before renewal?
Usually you wouldn't — which is the problem. The requirement is written in board rule, not on the course you bought, and nothing in a typical CME transcript flags that a credit was ineligible in one of your states. It surfaces at renewal or at audit.
Does one approved course cover all seven?
No. Each of the seven approves separately and several mandate state-specific content — Tennessee requires the Tennessee Department of Health guidelines, Utah requires Utah-specific resources, Oregon requires its own module. A course built for one will generally not satisfy another.
Do these rules apply to nurse practitioners and PAs?
Often, but not identically — triggers and hour totals differ by profession and sometimes by prescriptive authority. Each state page lists physicians, APRNs and PAs separately.
Does Interstate Medicine's own course satisfy these states?
No, and we say so on the planner. Our forthcoming activity is a general ACCME-accredited course, which is exactly the kind these seven boards do not accept on its own. The planner flags those states and points you to the board's approved route instead — we would rather tell you than sell you something that doesn't count.
Compiled from each board's own rule text, cited above. Rules change mid-cycle — verify with the board before relying on this. Requirements shown are for physicians (MD/DO); APRN and PA requirements appear on each state page.