Important Issues

Note: This article has been updated to reflect that the recent change by DC Health is NOT retroactive and that currently renewing physician licenses will expire on December 31, 2024.

DC Health has changed the term of physician licensure, impacting when physician licenses expire for the renewal period that opens in October 2024. Whereas all physician licenses previously operated under the same two-year cycle with an expiration date of December 31 in even-numbered years, going forward the expiration date will vary based on the physician’s birth month.  The change impacts new and renewing licensees and went into effect June 16, 2024, for new licensees. For renewing physicians, the change will take effect in September 2024 and apply to this year's renewal period.  

As District physicians know, this is a licensure renewal year, and all physician licenses were set to expire on December 31, 2024. With this change, the expiration day and month will adjust to the last day of the month of your birth for the coming renewal period.

Below is what DC Health has shared to date.
From DC Health:

Change to the Term of License, Certificate and Registration Effective Date June 16, 2024
“DC Health has always operated with fixed renewal windows for each profession. In response to feedback from the health professional community, the Director has moved to change the renewal system to align with each licensee’s month of birth. As such, all applicable licenses, certificates, or registrations issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the birth month of the license holder. This will apply to all new applicants and will become applicable to licensees renewing later this year. For those renewing, this will not take effect until September 2024. For all current holders of a license, certificate, or registration additional information will be provided at a later date. This authority is pursuant to Chapter 40 Section 4006.3 DCMR Chapter 40 General Rules.  A mass email blast is scheduled to go out to all licensees regarding this.

“All applicable licenses, certificates, or registrations issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the birth month of the license holder. Additionally, applicants born in even-numbered years will receive even-numbered expiration years while applicants born in odd-numbered years will receive odd-numbered expiration years.
After the renewal period starts : Someone born in August in an even numbered year will have an expiration date of August 31, 2026. Someone born in August in an odd numbered year will have and expiration date of August 31st, 2027.”

MSDC is vigorously evaluating opportunities to ease the burden to physicians and building on existing efforts. Our portal with American College of Lifestyle Medicine courses can help physicians who need to meet the 50-hour education requirement sooner than expected.  MSDC will continue working to make the District of Columbia the nation’s model for patient care and physician practice, building on previous efforts to streamline interstate medical licensure and achieve regional reciprocity.

Below are other important details about continuing medical education for physician license renewal:

CE requirements for 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 (see below), and
  - at least one (1) course in the subject of pharmacology.

Public Health Priorities - The most recent list of topics identified by the Director of the Department of Health appear in a list HERE.

MSDC offers courses through a partnership with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine HERE. Some of these programs may comply with the public health priority requirement.