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Eight 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 eight jurisdictions it does not: the board either publishes an approved-course list, designates a specific course, limits who may offer it, 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 eight, and what each actually demands
Florida
2 hours every 2 years: prescribing controlled substances; the required content now includes the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease (CS/SB 844, ch. 2026-6, in force July 1, 2026). Trigger: DEA-registered CS prescribers.
Why a general course fails: BOARD-APPROVED COURSE REQUIRED: the 2-hour controlled-substance course must be board-approved AND offered by a Florida statewide professional association of physicians accredited for AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA Category 1-A credit (Fla. Stat. 456.0301(1)(a)). A generic national Category 1 course does not satisfy it. Reported via CE Broker.
Florida Board of Medicine · Fla. Administrative Code R. 64B8-13.005; Fla. Stat. 458.319, 456.013(7), 456.0301
Kentucky
4.5 hours every 3 years: 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 Category 1. Hard gate.
Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure · 201 KAR 9:310
Louisiana
3 hours 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 Category 1 is not sufficient on its own. Hard gate (Act 76 / §4005).
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners · La. Administrative Code tit. 46 §XLV.435
Massachusetts
3 credits per 2-year 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 Category 1.
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine · 243 CMR 2.06
Oregon
1 hour / 2 years: 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 Category 1 pain course does not satisfy it. Generic Category 1 is fine for the rest of the general pool.
Oregon Medical Board · OAR 847-008-0070, 847-008-0075, 847-008-0077; OMB continuing-education page
Tennessee
2 hours per 2-year cycle, controlled-substance prescribing. MUST include the TN Department of Health treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol. Trigger: all licensees, except physicians board-certified in pain management, anesthesiology, PM&R, neurology or rheumatology.
Why a general course fails: MANDATED CURRICULUM (no pre-approval list): a generic national ACCME Category 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 hours per period: CS-prescribing classes (+ one-time SBIRT class from 2024). Mandated curriculum including 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 Category 1 does NOT automatically count.
Utah Division of Professional Licensing · Utah Administrative Code R156-67-304
West Virginia
3 hours ONCE, within 1 year of initial licensure: a Board-approved course on “Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances.” The recurring per-renewal 3 hours was REMOVED when both boards re-promulgated: effective July 1, 2026 (Board of Medicine, 11 CSR 6) and July 2, 2026 (Board of Osteopathic Medicine, 24 CSR 1). Trigger: any MD/DO/PA who prescribes controlled substances.
Why a general course fails: BOARD PRE-APPROVAL REQUIRED: the 3-hour Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances course must be Board-approved (WV Board of Medicine list; separately the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine's list for DOs). Generic ACCME Category 1 alone is NOT sufficient.
West Virginia Board of Medicine · W. Va. Code §30-3-12; 11 CSR 6; HB 4951 (2026)
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 plannerLicensed 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 eight 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. Florida accepts only a board-approved course offered by a Florida statewide physician association (Fla. Stat. 456.0301). 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 eight?
No. Each of the eight 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, Florida requires a course from a Florida statewide physician association. 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.
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.