In late 2021, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) eliminated the requirement for active members to earn 25 credits of CME through live, in-person activities. AAFP notes that this change starts with active members in the 2019-2021 cycle and covers those in the 2018-2020 cycle who received extensions through December 31, 2021.
While AAFP eliminated the requirement that 25 credits of CME are earned live, active members still must report at least 150 credits of CME every three years, with at least half of those credits being Prescribed credits.
Additionally, while it is no longer required that practitioners earn CME through live activities, members can still opt to fulfill some CME through live activities. While AAFP notes that many members value live meetings, the shift from traditional in-person events to virtual offerings has “blurred the line between live and enduring activities” and that eliminating the in-person CME requirement will “eliminate confusion” about reporting in-person CME activity that has been switched to other formats (i.e., virtual, livestream, recordings, and on-demand). The change will also allow members to choose the learning formats that best suit their own needs and preferences.
The AAFP Board approved the change, which was proposed by the Commission on Membership and Member Services and the Commission on Continuing Professional Development, in response to feedback from members who want flexibility in how they learn in the changing educational environment.
The AAFP has myriad opportunities for members to earn CME via audio, livestream, journals, and other methods. For now, events largely remain virtual, but AAFP expects to expand back to in-person offerings next year, noting that it “plans to provide as many live offerings as ever and will continue to evaluate how to optimize CME for members’ continuous learning needs.”
As of the writing of this article, it looks like the first expected in-person event will be the Congress of Delegates in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 5 and 6, 2022. Then, the Residency Leadership Summit will take place March 24 (special programming day) through March 27, 2022, also in Kansas City, Missouri and the Physician Health & Well-being Conference will take place March 30 through April 2, 2022, in Naples, Florida.