Physicians CE · United States · for providers
ACCME and AMA PRA certificate requirements for accredited CME providers
The six elements the AMA requires on any documentation of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, the exact ACCME accreditation statement and AMA credit designation statement, the separate wording for non-physicians, and the six-year record rule. Checked against the AMA PRA booklet, the AMA provider FAQ and ACCME policy pages.
Short answer · checked 30 October 2026
Documentation of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ must show, at a minimum, the physician’s name, the name of the accredited CME provider, the activity title, the learning format, the date of the live activity or the date the physician completed it, and the number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ awarded. It must show the credits the physician actually claimed, not the maximum, and must use the complete italicized trademarked phrase. Keep the record of credit claimed for at least six years.
- Required elements
- 6, plus the ACCME statement
- Issue the certificate
- On the physician’s request
- Keep credit records
- 6 years
- Central reporting system
- PARS (activities; learners optional)
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
Accreditor
Sets the rules and approves providers.
Provideryou
Runs the course and issues the certificate.
Learner
Completes the course and keeps the certificate.
Board
Renews the licence and may audit the certificate.
- Accredited CME provider
- An organization the ACCME, or a state medical society recognized by the ACCME, has checked and allowed to certify activities for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- The unit of physician CME. One credit is 60 minutes of educational time. The phrase is a trademark of the American Medical Association and must always be written in full, in italics, with the ™.
- Credit designation statement
- The AMA sentence that tells physicians how many credits an activity is certified for. It goes on brochures, syllabi and web pages that mention credit.
- Accreditation statement
- The ACCME sentence that says who accredited the provider. It goes on CME activity materials and brochures.
- Joint providership
- An activity run by one accredited provider together with one or more non-accredited organizations. The accredited provider is responsible for compliance and keeps the records.
- PARS
- The ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System. Providers enter every activity in it each year. Entering individual learners is optional.
Who this applies to
Providers under ACCME / AMA PRA, and the learners they serve
Providers
- Organizations accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians
- Organizations accredited by a state medical society that the ACCME recognizes (the same AMA and ACCME rules apply)
- Non-accredited organizations that run an activity with an accredited provider under joint providership (the accredited provider is responsible)
1,518 accredited providers in the ACCME System (2025) · ACCME CME Provider Directory
Learners
Physicians (MDs, DOs and those with equivalent medical degrees from another country) who need AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for licence renewal, hospital privileges or board certification. Nurses, physician assistants and other health professionals may attend, but cannot be awarded the credit.
The 7 elements
What the certificate must show
Each number on the sample matches one element ACCME / AMA PRA requires. The list says where the rule is written and which Hyperstack field fills it.
- 1
Name of accredited CME provider
The organization that certified the activity. Under joint providership this is the accredited provider, not the partner.
Example: Harbor Medical Education Institute
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8
- 2
Physician’s name
The physician who claimed the credit. The AMA opposes using Social Security numbers to identify physicians; a name is enough on the certificate.
Example: Daniel R. Okafor, MD
In Hyperstack:
[recipient_name]AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8 - 3
Title of activity
The title of the certified activity, as it appears in the activity materials.
Example: Sepsis Recognition and Early Management
In Hyperstack:
[group_title]AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8 - 4
Learning format
One of the eight AMA learning formats: live activity, enduring material, journal-based CME activity, test-item writing activity, manuscript review activity, PI CME activity, internet point-of-care activity, or Other activity.
Example: Live activity
In Hyperstack:
[custom_learning_format]AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 7 - 5
Date of the activity or completion
The date(s) of a live activity, or the date the physician completed an enduring material or other self-paced activity.
Example: 16 October 2026
In Hyperstack:
[issue_date]AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8 - 6
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ awarded
The actual number of credits this physician claimed, in quarter-credit steps. Not the designated maximum for the activity.
Example: 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
In Hyperstack:
[custom_credits_claimed]AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q131 and Q133 - 7
ACCME accreditation statement
ACCME requires it on CME activity materials and brochures. Neither the ACCME nor the AMA lists it as a certificate element, but a certificate that names who accredited you is what boards expect to see. Use the exact ACCME wording.
Example: Harbor Medical Education Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateACCME policy: Accreditation Statement
Exact wording
The statements, word for word
ACCME / AMA PRA has 11 wordings. Use the one that fits your approval and your activity. Copy it, do not retype it.
ACCME accreditation statement, directly provided activity
The [Provider name] is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Use it as written on CME activity materials and brochures. Only a first save-the-date announcement with no faculty or objectives may leave it out. Two accredited providers working together use this statement with the name of the one that takes responsibility; there is no “co-providership” statement.
ACCME policy: Accreditation StatementACCME accreditation statement, jointly provided activity
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of [Accredited provider name] and [Non-accredited provider name]. The [Accredited provider name] is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
For an activity run with a non-accredited organization. All printed materials for the activity must carry it. ACCME avoids the words “partner” and “partnership” because joint providership is not a legal partnership.
ACCME policy: Accreditation Statement; ACCME policy: Joint ProvidershipAMA credit designation statement, all formats
The [Provider name] designates this [learning format] for a maximum of [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Must be written without paraphrasing and listed separately from the accreditation statement. The learning format must be one of the eight AMA formats. Make the “(s)” grammatical: “1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™”, “2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™”. Required on program materials and announcements that mention credit, in print and electronic form. Not required on the certificate itself.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 7; AMA PRA FAQ, Q121, Q122 and Q131AMA credit designation statement, live activity
The [Provider name] designates this live activity for a maximum of [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Credit for a live activity is the formal interaction time between faculty and physicians, in 15-minute or 0.25-credit steps.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 5 and 7AMA credit designation statement, enduring material
The [Provider name] designates this enduring material for a maximum of [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Credit is a good-faith estimate of the time a physician in the target audience needs, for example the average time of a small sample group, in 0.25-credit steps. A physician who completes the material claims the full designated credit.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 6–7; AMA PRA FAQ, Q63 and Q64AMA credit designation statement, journal-based CME activity
The [Provider name] designates this journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Each journal article is designated for, and physicians are awarded, one credit.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 6–7AMA credit designation statement, Other activity
The [Provider name] designates this Other activity ([short description]) for a maximum of [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
For an activity that meets the core requirements but fits none of the other seven formats, or a blended activity. Credit is one credit per hour of the provider’s best reasonable estimate of the time needed.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 6–7AMA credit designation statement, teaching medical students and residents
The [Provider name] designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per 1 hour of interaction with medical students and/or residents/fellows. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Only for providers that are also LCME- or ACGME-accredited, or work jointly with one. The number of credits is not known in advance, so the statement gives a rate. The rate is still 2 credits per hour: the AMA credit system page (updated 19 July 2024) raised faculty credit to 4 credits per hour of presentation only for original presentations at activities on or after 1 January 2023, and says credit calculation for other types of faculty credit has not changed.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 7; AMA PRA FAQ, Q121; AMA PRA credit system page, 2024Certificate wording for a physician (AMA example, not mandatory)
The [Provider name] certifies that [Physician name] [Degree] has participated in the [learning format] titled [Activity title] on [Date] and is awarded [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
The AMA gives this as an example. It does not fix the wording of a certificate, only the six elements it must carry. The number must be the credit this physician claimed.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q129Documentation for a non-physician participant (AMA example)
The [Provider name] certifies that [Participant name] has participated in the [learning format] titled [Activity title] on [Date]. This activity was designated for [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Non-physicians may not be awarded AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. The document may only say the activity was designated for credit. It must not say or imply that the participant was awarded credit.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q21 and Q129Documentation for a non-physician at a live activity, with hours (AMA example)
The [Provider name] certifies that [Participant name] has participated in the live activity titled [Activity title] on [Date]. This activity was designated for [X.XX] AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. [Participant name] participated for [X.XX] hours.
For a live activity you may add the time the non-physician attended. Write it as hours, not credits.
AMA PRA FAQ, Q23How credit is counted
Minutes in, AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ out
The unit
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ = 60 minutes
For a live activity, 60 minutes of formal interaction between faculty and the physician audience equals one credit. Breaks and lunches do not count. For an enduring material the provider estimates the time a typical physician needs. Some formats have a fixed number: a journal article is 1 credit, a manuscript review 3, a test-item writing activity 10, a PI CME activity 20, an internet point-of-care search 0.5.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 5–6; AMA PRA FAQ, Q38 and Q63Rounding
Credit is designated in 15-minute or 0.25-credit increments and rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Physicians claim credit for their own participation time, rounded to the nearest quarter hour; that is the number the certificate shows.
Worked example
200 minutes ÷ 60 = 3.33, rounded to the nearest quarter = 3.25
200 minutes → 3.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
200 ÷ 60, to the nearest 0.25. Rounds to the nearest quarter credit. Count only educational time; leave out breaks and meals.
Timeline
From the last slide to the audit file
Activity
Day 0
The activity was certified for credit before it ran. The physician completes it and claims the credit that matches their participation.
Certificate
On request
You must be able to give the physician documentation of the credit awarded when they ask. The AMA sets no deadline and does not require a certificate as such; most providers send one on completion.
Report
By 31 March next year
Enter and close the activity in PARS as part of ACCME annual reporting. Learner credit data is optional; for MOC, within 30 days of completion.
Records
6 years
Keep the record of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ claimed by each physician for at least six years after the activity completion date.
Reporting
Who reports what to ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System
System
ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS)
- Who reports
- The accredited provider. Under joint providership, the accredited provider, not the partner.
- Deadline
- Activity data: enter every activity that started in the calendar year and close every activity that ended in it, by 31 March of the next year at 11:59 pm Central Time (state-accredited providers may have an earlier date). Learner credit data: optional; for MOC, within 30 days of the learner completing the activity.
PARS reports activities, not certificates. Entering learners is optional, but the ACCME says PARS can become your system of record and replace paper or e-certificates. Until you enter learners, the physician relies on your certificate.
ACCME: Annual Reporting in PARS; ACCME Data Reporting Quick AnswersProvider
Enters the activity in PARS: title, format, dates, credits designated, and whether it is directly or jointly provided.
Provider
Closes the activity with the number of physician learners and other learners. For enduring materials, updates the cumulative learner counts as of 31 December.
Provider (optional)
Enters learner credit data: first and last name, month and day of birth, state licence or certifying board ID, completion date and credit amount, with the learner’s permission.
ACCME
Shares the learner data with participating state medical boards and certifying boards, so the physician does not have to send a certificate.
Provider
Each year, accepts the ACCME annual agreement, submits the Program Summary and updates contact details, by 31 March.
Right and wrong
The same certificate, two ways
The lines on the left are the mistakes auditors find most. The lines on the right are the fix.
Fails an audit
Harbor Medical Education Institute
Daniel R. Okafor, MD
- Credits awarded: 4.5 Category 1 Credits
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™: 8.0 (maximum for this activity)
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ has been applied for
- Priya Nair, RN is awarded 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ awarded: 3.33
- Jointly provided by Harbor Medical Education Institute and Bayview Health, both accredited by the ACCME
Passes an audit
Harbor Medical Education Institute
Daniel R. Okafor, MD
- Credits awarded: 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ awarded: 6.5
- This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- Priya Nair, RN has participated in the live activity titled Sepsis Recognition and Early Management on 16 October 2026. This activity was designated for 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ awarded: 3.25
- Harbor Medical Education Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
- 1. The complete italicized trademarked phrase must always be used. “Category 1 Credit” on its own is not allowed.
- 2. The certificate must show the credit this physician claimed, not the designated maximum.
- 3. “Applied for” and “pending” wording is never allowed. An activity must be certified before it runs, so there is nothing to apply for.
- 4. Non-physicians may not be awarded the credit. Their documentation may only say the activity was designated for credit.
- 5. Credit is counted in 0.25 steps, rounded to the nearest quarter hour.
- 6. There is no co-providership statement. When two accredited providers work together, one takes responsibility and the directly provided statement is used with its name.
Digital
Electronic certificates and badges
Electronic certificates
Neither the ACCME nor the AMA requires a paper certificate. The AMA says there is no requirement for a specific type of documentation; a certificate, a transcript or another record is fine, as long as it carries the six elements. The ACCME talks of “paper or e-certificates” as equal and says PARS can replace both as the system of record.
Digital badges
Neither the ACCME nor the AMA says anything about digital badges. A badge is acceptable only if it shows the same six elements, including the credits claimed and the full trademarked phrase.
AMA PRA FAQ, Q128 and Q129; ACCME Data Reporting Quick Answers
Records and other rules
What else ACCME / AMA PRA checks
Keep credit records for 6 years
The AMA requires the record of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ claimed by each physician to be kept for at least six years after the activity completion date. The ACCME requires a mechanism to record and, when the physician authorizes it, verify participation for six years from the activity date. Activity planning files must be kept for the current accreditation term or the last twelve months, whichever is longer. Hyperstack keeps every issued certificate, its verification page and its audit log for the life of your account and after you cancel.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 5 and 8; ACCME policy: CME Activity and Attendance Records RetentionThe certificate is on request, and must be the claimed credit
You must be able to give a physician documentation of the credit awarded when they ask. You must have a way for physicians to claim credit, and award the actual number claimed. For a live activity, a physician who left at lunch gets the credit for the morning, not the whole day.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q128 and Q133Non-physicians get a different document
Only MDs, DOs and holders of an equivalent foreign degree may be awarded AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Nurses, physician assistants and other participants may receive documentation that says the activity was designated for credit, and for a live activity, the hours they attended. It must never say or imply they were awarded the credit. Many of their own boards accept such a certificate; that is the board’s decision, not the AMA’s.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q21, Q23 and Q129Joint providership
When you run an activity with a non-accredited organization, you are responsible for compliance, your name is the accredited provider on the certificate, you use the joint providership statement on all printed materials, and you keep the record of credit claimed by each physician. There is no “co-providership” statement for two accredited providers; one takes responsibility and uses the direct statement.
ACCME policy: Joint Providership; ACCME policy: Accreditation Statement; AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8Enduring materials and other self-paced formats
The date on the certificate is the day the physician completed the material. A physician who completes it claims the full designated credit, whatever time it took. In PARS, update the cumulative learner count for each enduring material as of 31 December.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q64; ACCME: Annual Reporting in PARSConferences with several sessions
Concurrent sessions are counted once: the designated maximum may not exceed what one physician could attend. Segments that are promotional, aimed at non-physicians or not CME may not be certified and must be clearly marked in the activity materials. The certificate shows the credit for the certified sessions the physician attended.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 5; AMA PRA FAQ, Q39Certify first; never “applied for”
An activity must be certified for credit before it runs; it cannot be approved for credit afterwards. A save-the-date may say the activity “has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™” without a number if it is already certified. “Applied for”, “pending” or similar wording is never allowed, on any material.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, pp. 5 and 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q122Signatures and seals
Neither the ACCME nor the AMA requires a signature, a seal or a provider number on the certificate. Add a signature if your organization wants one; set it once in the design.
AMA PRA booklet 2017, p. 8; AMA PRA FAQ, Q130Before you send
The audit checklist, to tick or print
ACCME / AMA PRA certificate checklist0/12
How to do it in Hyperstack
Three steps to a compliant certificate
- 1
Open the ACCME / AMA PRA template
The template has a place for every element on this page. Add your logo and your 2 fixed elements once.
- Name of accredited CME provider
- ACCME accreditation statement
- 2
Map your columns
Upload a spreadsheet or connect your LMS. Each column fills one element for every learner.
- [recipient_name]
- [group_title]
- [custom_learning_format]
- [issue_date]
- [custom_credits_claimed]
- 3
Issue and keep the record
Every learner gets an email, a verification page and a QR code. The record stays for as long as the rules need it.
- Verification page
- QR code
- Audit log
- Kept 6 years and beyond
Free template
An ACCME / AMA PRA-ready certificate, with all 7 elements in place
Set your provider details once. Names, dates and AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ fill in for every learner. Each certificate gets a verification page and QR code.
FAQ
ACCME / AMA PRA certificates, answered
Not as such. The AMA requires you to give the physician documentation of the credit awarded when they ask, and leaves the form to you: a certificate, a transcript or another record. Whatever you issue must carry the six elements. Most providers send a certificate on completion, because that is what physicians expect and what boards ask for.
No. The AMA says it is not required on certificates or transcripts, because by then the physician has claimed credit. The certificate shows the credits claimed, not the designated maximum. The designation statement belongs on brochures, syllabi, landing pages and other materials that mention credit.
Yes, but not of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Give a certificate of participation that says the activity was designated for a number of credits, and for a live activity, how many hours they attended. Whether their own board accepts it is the board’s decision.
Count the educational time only, without breaks and meals, and work in 15-minute or 0.25-credit steps, rounded to the nearest quarter hour. A physician who attends 200 minutes claims 3.25 credits. For an enduring material the physician claims the full designated credit on completion.
Yes. Neither the ACCME nor the AMA requires paper. The ACCME refers to “paper or e-certificates” as equal, and says PARS can even replace them as the system of record once you enter learner data. An electronic certificate must carry the same six elements.
Not by default. You must enter every activity in PARS by 31 March of the following year. Entering individual learners is optional, except that for MOC the ACCME and the boards expect learners within 30 days. If you do enter learners, the ACCME passes the data to participating state and certifying boards.
At least six years after the activity completion date for the record of credit each physician claimed. The ACCME asks for the same six years for attendance records. Activity planning files are kept for the current accreditation term or the last twelve months, whichever is longer.
No. An activity must be certified before it runs, and the AMA never allows “applied for”, “pending” or similar wording. A save-the-date may say the activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ without a number, if it is already certified.
Sources
Read from Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, awarding AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ documents on 30 October 2026. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Your accreditation manual and your licensing board have the final word. Something out of date? Tell us.
Changes to this page
- 2026-10-30Page written from the 2017 AMA PRA booklet, the AMA provider FAQ and the ACCME policy pages.
- 2026-10-30Fact check: teaching-credit statement confirmed at 2 credits per hour against the booklet (p. 7), FAQ Q121 and the AMA credit system page (the 2023 change to 4:1 covers original presentations only); physician certificate example matched to the booklet wording; eight-formats cite and ACCME report page numbers corrected.
- 1AMA, The Physician’s Recognition Award and credit system, 2017 revisionDesignating and awarding credit (p. 5), format rules (p. 6), credit designation statement and trademark (p. 7), documentation elements, record keeping, non-physician and physician certificate wording, joint and co-providership (p. 8).
- 2AMA PRA Credit System frequently asked questions (for accredited CME providers)Q21 and Q23 non-physicians; Q38 and Q63–64 credit increments; Q121–123 designation statement; Q126 trademark; Q127–133 documentation and records.
- 3AMA, The AMA PRA credit system (web page, updated 19 July 2024)Faculty credit for original presentations is 4 credits per hour of presentation from 1 January 2023 (previously 2:1); other faculty credit, including teaching medical students and residents, is unchanged. Links the 2017 booklet and the provider FAQ as current.
- 4ACCME policy: Accreditation StatementDirect and joint statements, where they must appear, no co-providership statement.
- 5ACCME policy: Joint ProvidershipDefinition, responsibility of the accredited provider, statement on all printed materials.
- 6ACCME policy: CME Activity and Attendance Records RetentionSix years for attendance records; accreditation term or twelve months for activity files.
- 7ACCME: Data Reporting Quick AnswersLearner credit reporting not required; PARS as system of record replacing paper or e-certificates; MOC learners within 30 days; learner data fields.
- 8ACCME: Annual Reporting in PARSThe five annual steps and the 31 March deadline.
- 9ACCME 2025 Data Report: Sustaining Trust and Expanding ReachTotal providers 1,518 (Table 1, p. 16; p. 13).
- 10ACCME CME Provider Directory
Your next cohort deserves better than a PDF
Set up in minutes, send your first credentials today, and only pay once you grow past 20 recipients a year.
Or open a live sample credential