The AMA Direct Credit pathway: the quickest, cheapest way to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

Most CME takes time: register for a course, sit through it, pass a quiz, download a certificate. That's worth doing when you want the learning. But many physicians have already done work the AMA will credit and have never claimed it. The AMA calls this Direct Credit. You send proof of an activity you've already completed, pay a small processing fee, and the AMA awards AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ itself. No accredited CME provider is involved.

For some activities, especially board certification, this may be the fastest and cheapest Category 1 credit you can get. One application can bring in 60 credits for a $30 or $75 fee.

What AMA Direct Credit is

Category 1 credit normally comes from an accredited CME provider that designs an activity and certifies it. Direct Credit covers learning that happened outside that system. According to the AMA Ed Hub applications page, if you completed certain educational activities that weren't certified by an accredited CME provider, you may still be able to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. You receive one certificate for each type of approved activity completed within the last six years.

You don't need to be an AMA member to apply. Members pay a lower fee. Direct Credit is part of the AMA's physician credit system. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants follow their own certifying bodies' rules.

Which activities qualify, and how many credits

Teaching credit applies only when the accredited provider hasn't already given you credit for the talk, and a repeated presentation counts once. Degree credit doesn't apply if the program's courses were already certified for Category 1.

Continuing certification assessments by board

The AMA lists these boards as having continuing certification assessments approved for Direct Credit:

• American Board of Dermatology: 1 credit for each article or article-based question, up to 12 credits a year.
• American Board of Pediatrics: 60 credits after you complete all components of the MOC cycle, including MOCA-Peds.
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology: 60 credits after your three-year cycle ends, claimable once per three-year period even if you hold more than one certificate.
• American Board of Plastic Surgery: 6 credits for each of eight longitudinal assessments and two QI components across the 10-year cycle.
• American Board of Surgery: 12 credits every other year for the continuing certification assessment and any specialty certificate assessments.
• American Board of Emergency Medicine (named on the AMA's application form): 1 credit per article-based question for diplomates who pass four MyEMCert modules.

Boards that report credit for you

The AMA has reciprocity agreements with the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, the American Board of Dermatology, the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Under these agreements, credit can be awarded without you applying yourself. If you hold one of these certifications, check with your board before applying. Your credit may already be on its way.

What AMA Direct Credit costs

• AMA members: $30 per activity category.
• Non-members: $75 per activity category.
• Residents and fellows in ACGME-accredited programs who are AMA members: no charge for the residency or fellowship certificate.

The fee is charged per activity category, not per application. If you claim board certification and two published articles together, you pay for two categories. The fees are non-refundable, but the AMA doesn't charge your card until it approves your application, and you pay only for activities that qualify. Sales tax or VAT may apply in some places.

For the board certification route, the cost per credit is very low. A non-member claiming 60 credits pays $75, about $1.25 a credit. A member pays $30, or 50 cents a credit. Smaller claims work out to more per credit: a single 5-credit poster still costs $30 or $75.

How long Direct Credit takes

The AMA says standard processing takes four business weeks from the date it receives your application. Once your payment is processed, you get a confirmation email to download your transcript. The credit then appears in the Transcript section of your AMA Ed Hub account.

How to apply

1. Sign in to AMA Ed Hub or create a free AMA account. Membership isn't required. Use the same email address on your application, because that's where your certificate goes.
2. Gather the documents your activity needs: board certificate or letter, program page, published abstract, DOI, diploma or residency letter.
3. Apply online from the AMA Ed Hub applications page using Claim Direct Credit, and select each activity category that applies.
4. Or download the paper application and send it by mail to American Medical Association, 330 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 39-300, Chicago, IL 60611-5885; by email to pra@ama-assn.org; or by fax to (312) 464-5129.
5. Track your application with See Application Progress on the same Ed Hub page, and watch for the confirmation email.

The paper form asks for your AMA medical education (ME) number, an 11-digit number the AMA assigns to every US physician. AMA members can find it on their membership card.

AMA phone numbers for Direct Credit

• AMA Ed Hub support (applications and your account): 1-800-621-8335, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central.
• AMA PRA and Direct Credit questions (the number printed on the application): (312) 464-4669, or email pra@ama-assn.org.
• Your ME number: 1-800-262-3211.

A radiologist's experience

Neither the AMA's published list nor its application form names OLA among the approved assessments. Radiology falls under the general rule of 60 credits for certification or continuing certification achieved by taking the secure exam. If you're an ABR diplomate, call (312) 464-4669 or email pra@ama-assn.org before you apply. Ask how the AMA handles your situation and what to attach, usually your ABR certificate or a status letter from your ABR account. Your card is charged only if the application is approved.

Check how the credit counts for you

Direct Credit is AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, but how it applies depends on who's counting:

• Your board. The ABR, for example, requires 75 Category 1 credits over a rolling three-year period, plus separate OLA and practice improvement requirements (ABR). Getting credit for OLA doesn't excuse you from OLA itself. See CME requirements by specialty board.
• Your state medical board. Many states require specific topics, such as opioid prescribing or implicit bias. The DEA also has its own substance use disorder training requirement. Direct Credit for board certification won't cover these topics. See CME requirements by state.
• Your hospital or employer. Credentialing offices and CME allowances often follow their own rules.

Keep the six-year limit in mind too. If you certified or recertified, published, presented a poster or taught at an accredited meeting in the last six years and never claimed it, you can still apply. For learning that doesn't fit any of these routes, see Category 2 CME examples.

AMA Direct Credit FAQ

The AMA sets Direct Credit eligibility, amounts and fees, and they can change. Check the AMA Ed Hub before you apply. Shift CME doesn't award AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and doesn't apply to the AMA for you.

Sources

1. AMA Ed Hub, How to Transfer CME Credits and Apply for the AMA PRA Award
2. AMA, Direct Credit Application, AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (valid until 12/31/2026)
3. AMA, AMA PRA Credit System: Frequently asked questions for physicians
4. American Board of Medical Specialties
5. American Board of Radiology, Lifelong Learning