Section 4730.14 | Renewing license.
(A) A certificate to practice as a physician assistant shall expire biennially and may be renewed in accordance with this section. A person seeking to renew a certificate to practice as a physician assistant shall, on or before the thirty-first day of January of each even-numbered year, apply for renewal of the certificate. The state medical board shall send renewal notices at least one month prior to the expiration date.
Applications shall be submitted to the board on forms the board shall prescribe and furnish. Each application shall be accompanied by a biennial renewal fee of one hundred dollars. The board shall deposit the fees in accordance with section 4731.24 of the Revised Code.
The applicant shall report any criminal offense that constitutes grounds for refusing to issue a certificate to practice under section 4730.25 of the Revised Code to which the applicant has pleaded guilty, of which the applicant has been found guilty, or for which the applicant has been found eligible for intervention in lieu of conviction, since last signing an application for a certificate to practice as a physician assistant.
(B) To be eligible for renewal, a physician assistant shall certify to the board both of the following:
(1) That the physician assistant has maintained certification by the national commission on certification of physician assistants or a successor organization that is recognized by the board by meeting the standards to hold current certification from the commission or its successor, including completion of continuing medical education requirements and passing periodic recertification examinations;
(2) Except as provided in division (F) of this section and section 5903.12 of the Revised Code, that the physician assistant has completed during the current certification period not less than one hundred hours of continuing medical education acceptable to the board.
(C) The board shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code specifying the types of continuing medical education that must be completed to fulfill the board's requirements under division (B)(2) of this section. Except when additional continuing medical education is required to renew a certificate to prescribe, as specified in section 4730.49 of the Revised Code, the board shall not adopt rules that require a physician assistant to complete in any certification period more than one hundred hours of continuing medical education acceptable to the board. In fulfilling the board's requirements, a physician assistant may use continuing medical education courses or programs completed to maintain certification by the national commission on certification of physician assistants or a successor organization that is recognized by the board if the standards for acceptable courses and programs of the commission or its successor are at least equivalent to the standards established by the board.
(D) If an applicant submits a complete renewal application and qualifies for renewal pursuant to division (B) of this section, the board shall issue to the applicant a renewed certificate to practice as a physician assistant.
(E) The board may require a random sample of physician assistants to submit materials documenting certification by the national commission on certification of physician assistants or a successor organization that is recognized by the board and completion of the required number of hours of continuing medical education.
(F) The board shall provide for pro rata reductions by month of the number of hours of continuing education that must be completed for individuals who are in their first certification period, who have been disabled due to illness or accident, or who have been absent from the country. The board shall adopt rules, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, as necessary to implement this division.
(G)(1) A certificate to practice that is not renewed on or before its expiration date is automatically suspended on its expiration date. Continued practice after suspension of the certificate shall be considered as practicing in violation of division (A) of section 4730.02 of the Revised Code.
(2) If a certificate has been suspended pursuant to division (G)(1) of this section for two years or less, it may be reinstated. The board shall reinstate a certificate suspended for failure to renew upon an applicant's submission of a renewal application, the biennial renewal fee, and any applicable monetary penalty.
If a certificate has been suspended pursuant to division (G)(1) of this division for more than two years, it may be restored. In accordance with section 4730.28 of the Revised Code, the board may restore a certificate suspended for failure to renew upon an applicant's submission of a restoration application, the biennial renewal fee, and any applicable monetary penalty and compliance with sections 4776.01 to 4776.04 of the Revised Code. The board shall not restore to an applicant a certificate to practice as a physician assistant unless the board, in its discretion, decides that the results of the criminal records check do not make the applicant ineligible for a certificate issued pursuant to section 4730.12 of the Revised Code.
The penalty for reinstatement shall be fifty dollars and the penalty for restoration shall be one hundred dollars. The board shall deposit penalties in accordance with section 4731.24 of the Revised Code.
(H) If an individual certifies that the individual has completed the number of hours and type of continuing medical education required for renewal or reinstatement of a certificate to practice as a physician assistant, and the board finds through a random sample conducted under division (E) of this section or through any other means that the individual did not complete the requisite continuing medical education, the board may impose a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars. The board's finding shall be made pursuant to an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code and by an affirmative vote of not fewer than six members.
A civil penalty imposed under this division may be in addition to or in lieu of any other action the board may take under section 4730.25 of the Revised Code. The board shall deposit civil penalties in accordance with section 4731.24 of the Revised Code.
Available Versions of this Section
- March 24, 2008 – House Bill 104 - 127th General Assembly [ View March 24, 2008 Version ]
- October 15, 2015 – Senate Bill 110, House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly [ View October 15, 2015 Version ]
- October 17, 2019 – Amended by House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly [ View October 17, 2019 Version ]
- October 3, 2023 – Amended by House Bill 33 - 135th General Assembly [ View October 3, 2023 Version ]