Medical board chairman certification requires continuing ed

The chairman of the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board is responding to a recent audit that found nearly one in 11 licensed physicians in Wisconsin were not in compliance with continuing education requirements.

Physicians in Wisconsin must log 30 hours of continuing medical education every two years, a requirement past board chairman Sheldon Wasserman said is lowest in the nation.

But, the current chairman, Dr. Kenneth Simons, said there are several states that have no continuing education requirements for licensed physicians, including Colorado, South Dakota, Montana and Indiana.

Simons said there are other avenues for keeping physicians at the top of their game. He says board certified doctors must maintain their certification through continuing education, among other things.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported regulators found 8 percent of doctors selected in a random audit failed to meet continuing education requirements for licensing.