adminPractice administrator members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society may enter CME activities in Tracker for any physician members in their group practice that have given them permission.
1. How do my physicians extend permission to me to access their Tracker records?
2. How do I log in to Tracker?
3. Do I have access to Tracker for all the physicians in my practice?
4. I have access to multiple physicians. Can I easily switch between physician’s Tracker records?
5. Can I print out a record of my physicians’ activities recorded in Tracker?
6. What activities can I report on Tracker?
7. Why does a physician have to apply through the AMA to receive credit for some activities?
8. Do physicians need to keep their original certificates once I’ve entered them into Tracker?
9. What is the difference between AMA PRA Category 1 and Category 2™ credit hours?
10. How do I know if an activity qualifies toward the Patient Safety/Risk Management requirement?
11. How do I designate an activity for Patient Safety/Risk Management credit?
12. Do I have to enter activities for CME credit hours awarded from the Pennsylvania Medical Society?
13. What data do I enter in Tracker?
14. How can I get more information?
1. How do my physicians extend permission to me to access their Tracker records?
Physicians may grant you access to their information by:
- Selecting “My CME Tracker information may be updated by all current and future administrators in my practice, as identified in the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s database” on the CME Tracker access screen of their member profiles
- Completing, signing, and returning the physician consent form, which is available on our website at www.pamedsoc.org/consentform
2. How do I log in to Tracker?
Tracker is available only to members, so you should log in to the Medical Society’s website with your username and password before attempting to use Tracker.
You can quickly navigate to Tracker by selecting “Track CME” from the right hand navigation on the home page. You will be taken to the “Track CME for Your Practice” page, where you will see a list of physicians in your practice.
[Top]
3. Do I have access to Tracker for all the physicians in my practice?
Physicians must first grant you permission to enter their CME activities.
On the “Track CME for Your Practice” page, you will be able to view a list of the physician members who have granted you Tracker privileges. The names are bolded and appear as a link.
You will also be able to view the names of physicians who are members of the Medical Society but have not granted Tracker access or physicians who are not members of the Medical Society and can’t use Tracker.
4. I have access to multiple physicians. Can I easily switch between physician’s Tracker records?
Yes. When you are done entering activities for one physician, you can use the “Go to Physician List” link in the left navigation to return to the “Track CME for Your Practice” page and the list of participating physicians.
[Top]
5. Can I print out a record of my physicians’ activities recorded in Tracker?
Yes. When you are ready for a report of a physician’s Tracker records, you can use the “View CME Summary” link in the left navigation, which will bring up a PDF document that you can view and print.
6. What activities can I report on Tracker?
You can enter all CME activities—both AMA PRA Category 1™ and Category 2—in Tracker, including:
- General CME activities
- Board certification/recertification
- Medically related degrees
- Poster presentations
- Published articles
- Teaching activities
Visit the CME Glossary and Tracker Activity Definition page to learn more about these activities.
[Top]
7. Why does a physician have to apply through the AMA to receive credit for some activities?
The AMA defines what qualifies as Category 1 for medical doctors and has reserved the right to issue Category 1 credit hours for certain activities like:
- Achieving specialty board certification or recertification by an ABMS-member specialty board
- Obtaining a medically related degree
- Presenting a poster at a meeting that has been approved for Category 1 credit
- Serving as lead author of an article published in peer-reviewed journals
- Successful participation in an ACGME accredited residency or fellowship program
Therefore, to receive and claim Category 1 credit hours for these activities, one must first apply to the AMA using a Direct Credit Application found under Continuing Medical Education Forms on the AMA’s website. To learn more about direct credit activities, please visit the AMA’s website.
8. Do physicians need to keep their original certificates once I’ve entered them into Tracker?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Medical Society recommends that physicians keep original activity documentation for at least four years. The State Board of Medicine will conduct random audits of at least 10 percent of licensed physicians in Pennsylvania each licensing cycle. If audited, a physician will need to submit the original activity documentation to the Medical Board for review.
[Top]
9. What is the difference between AMA PRA Category 1 and Category 2™ credit hours?
AMA PRA Category 1™ activities are those that have been reviewed and approved by an institution or organization (a “provider”) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or a state medical society. The provider of the activity will issue a certificate stating that the physician has been awarded Category 1 credit hours. When reporting Category 1 CME in Tracker, please list the provider as it appears on the certificate, for verification purposes.
AMA PRA Category 2™ activities are those that have not been formally designated by an accredited provider for Category 1 credit. Individual physicians may claim Category 2 credit for learning experiences that have improved the care they provide their patients.
Examples of Category 2 activities include:
- Reading journal articles
- Teaching medical students, residents or other health care professionals
- Medical research and study
- Consultation with colleagues
When claiming Category 2 credits towards a Pennsylvania medical license, physicians are required to document these activities in a diary or log.
10. How do I know if an activity qualifies toward the Patient Safety/Risk Management requirement?
The State Board of Medicine and the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine have cited the following list of topics to satisfy the patient safety/risk management requirement:
- Improving medical records and record keeping
- Reducing medical errors
- Professional conduct and ethics
- Improving communications among physicians and with other health care personnel
- Communication between physicians and patients
- Preventive medicine education
- Health care quality improvement
[Top]
11. How do I designate an activity for Patient Safety/Risk Management credit?
When entering an activity in Tracker, first record the total number of activity hours as either Category 1 or Category 2, then record the applicable number of hours earned towards qualifying topics in Patient Safety/Risk Management in the PS/RM box.
12. Do I have to enter activities for CME credit hours awarded from the Pennsylvania Medical Society?
No. All State Society CME activities are entered for members and should appear in the Tracker summary. If your physician participated in a Society-sponsored CME activity and it does not display on Tracker’s View Summary page, please contact the CME Office at (800) 228-7823, ext. 2623 or CMEAdmin@pamedsoc.org.
[Top]
13. What data do I enter in Tracker?
Entering data is Tracker is easy. You may find it helpful to print out this page before entering data so you have the following descriptions available.
First, decide if you are reporting a general activity (most activities are general activities) or a special activity—such as ABMS initial certification/maintenance of certification, earning a medically related degree, presenting a poster at an accredited program, publishing articles, or teaching at an accredited activity. See the Tracker activity definition page for more information.
When you enter activities, note that Tracker automatically selects the current licensing cycle. To enter activities from a prior licensing cycle, click the “Prior CME Cycle” link and select the correct reporting period.
Description
- Category 1 – Enter the name of the activity as it appears on the certificate provided by the Category 1 provider.
- Category 2 – Enter the name of the article, web research, discussion topic matter, etc.
Category 1 provider
- Use the drop down arrow at the right of the data entry field to select the name of the accredited provider as it appears on the certificate received upon completion of the Category 1 activity. This list contains approximately 200 names of the most common accredited providers for our members.
- If the accredited provider is not included in the initial drop down list, please click on the “Display Additional Providers” link to the right of the field to see a complete list of providers accredited by the ACCME. The first provider in the list is automatically inserted in the data field. Use the drop down arrow at the right of the data entry field again and scroll down to find the correct provider. Click on your selection and the appropriate provider data will be inserted.
Other provider
Use this field to enter information for non-Category 1 activities and all AOA activities. Enter the source of the Category 2 activity or the name of the AOA provider. Wording examples for Category 2 entries include “JAMA, Vol. 15, Fall 2006” or “Name of Hospital, Tumor Board Meeting.”
Location
Category 1 – City and state of activity
Category 2 – Will vary by activity. Could include city and state of your hospital, or “journal reading,” or “web research,” or “Audio/CD” etc.
Start date/end date
Enter the appropriate start and end dates of the activity.
Credit hours
Enter the total number of Category 1 or Category 2 credit hours claimed for the activity in increments of quarter hours. Example- .25, 1.75, 3.50
Patient safety/risk management credit hours
Record the applicable number of hours earned in activities with topics that qualify toward the Patient Safety/Risk Management licensure requirement.
14. How can I get more information?
If you have additional questions about Tracker, CME requirements for licensure or the State Society’s CME certificate, contact the CME Office at (800) 228-7823, ext. 2623 or CMEAdmin@pamedsoc.org.
[Top]