California has enacted Assembly Bill 359 to extend the definition of continuing medical education (CME) to practice management education, in line with other state and national guidelines. The previous law required applicants for a physician's and surgeon's certificate to pass all parts of Step 3 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination in four or fewer attempts. Applicants who also held an unlimited and unrestricted license as a physician and surgeon in another state continuously for at least four years prior to application were exempt. The new legislation broadens the exemption to include applicants who hold an unlimited license as a physician and surgeon in another state or a Canadian province, or an unrestricted medical license in a state, in a Canadian province, or as a member of the active military, U.S. States Public Health Services or other federal program for at least four years. AB 359 also allows CME to include activities that "promote recommendations, treatments or manners of practicing medicine." With the legislation's passage, CME content can include practice management content to better serve patients, including use of technology or clinical office workflow; management content to support a healthcare facility like coding or reimbursement in a medical practice; and educational methodology for physicians and surgeons teaching in a medical school. Physicians or surgeons can also satisfy CME standards by teaching in a medical school, as long as the hours claimed do not surpass 30 percent of the total hours of CME completed by the practitioner. AB 359 stated that California faces a "shortage of licensed physicians and surgeons," and immediate enactment is required to "increase the number of licensed medical doctors (MDs) practicing in California as physicians and surgeons." The legislation took effect immediately after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it.

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