Introduced By: Senators Blais and Gibbs
Date Introduced : February 5, 1998
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Sections 5-37-2.1 and 5-37-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-37 entitled "Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline" are hereby amended to read as follows:
5-37-2.1. Recertification -- Continuing medical education.
-- Every physician licensed to practice medicine within
this state shall, {ADD in connection with annual registration ADD},
on or before the first day of {DEL October DEL} {ADD June ADD}
of every third year after the {DEL 1977 DEL} {ADD 1999 ADD}
registration, {DEL apply to the Rhode Island board of medical
licensure and discipline for a certification of triennial registration
with the board. The applicant shall include DEL} {ADD provide ADD}
satisfactory evidence to the board of medical licensure and discipline
that in the preceding three (3) years the practitioner has completed
a prescribed course of continuing medical education established
by the appropriate medical or osteopathic society and approved
by rule or regulation of the director or by the board of licensure
and discipline. {DEL If the applicant submits satisfactory
evidence to the board that he or she has completed a prescribed
course of continuing medical education and has complied with the
provisions of section 5-37-10, the board shall issue the applicant
a certificate of triennial registration for a three (3) year period
commencing on January 1. DEL} The board may extend for only
one six (6) month period such educational requirements if the
board is satisfied that the applicant has suffered hardship which
prevented meeting the educational requirement. No recertification
to practice medicine in this state shall be refused, nor shall
any certificate be suspended or revoked except as: (a) provided
for in this chapter and, (b) failure to provide satisfactory evidence
of continuing medical education as provided for in this section.
5-37-10. Annual registration -- Physicians -- Hospitals.
-- (a) On or before the first day of {DEL October DEL}
{ADD March ADD} in each year the board shall mail an application
for annual registration to every person to whom a license to practice
medicine in this state has been granted by the duly constituted
licensing authority in the state. Every person so licensed who
intends to engage in the practice of his or her profession during
the ensuing year shall register his or her license by {DEL filing DEL}
{DEL with DEL} {ADD submitting to ADD} the board {ADD on or
before June 1 ADD} such application duly executed together with
such registration form and fee as shall be established by regulation
by the director of the department of health. Upon receipt of such
application and fee the board shall issue a registration certificate
effective {DEL January 2 DEL} {ADD July 1 ADD} and expiring
the following {DEL January 1 DEL} {ADD June 30 ADD}, and such
registration certificate shall render the holder thereof a registered
practitioner of medicine for that registration period.
(b) The registration certificate of all physicians whose renewals
accompanied by the prescribed fee are not {ADD completed and ADD}
filed on or before the first day of {DEL January DEL} {ADD July ADD}
shall be automatically lapsed. The board may in its discretion
and upon the payment by the physician of the current registration
fee plus an additional fee of one hundred dollars ($100) reinstate
any certificate lapsed under the provisions of this section.
(c) Hospitals shall, on or before the first day of December of each year, submit an application and annual fee to the board as a condition of rendering hospital services in the state. The form of application and fee shall be as the director shall, by regulation, establish; provided however that the ratio of payment between hospital per bed licensing fees and the combined licensing and board of medical licensure and discipline fees paid by physicians shall remain the same as the ratio that existed as of January 1, 1987. All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited as general revenues.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
