Philadelphia Medicine Summer 2020 - 26

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FEATURE

Transitioning from the
Practice of Medicine:
A few Things to Consider
Before Retirement
By: Sharon DeSantis, Practice Support Specialist, Pennsylvania Medical Society

hysicians contemplating this particular denouement in their onto: https://www.insurance.pa.gov/SpecialFunds/MCARE/Pages/
careers have a number of things to consider. In addition to Mcare-Compliance.aspx.
how you will spend your well-earned free time, you may also
Once you complete the Mcare Declaration of Compliance form,
be thinking about what to do with your medical license, medical Mcare will let you know whether or not you meet the exception and
professional liability insurance, and the ever-accumulating medical will not be required to maintain insurance.
records. And, even though these issues may be only the tip of the
iceberg (and maybe not even high on your list of priorities) when it Get an active-retired license
comes to the many retirement issues you will need to think about,
Pennsylvania physicians can also apply for an active-retired license.
they are definitely still worth your time and attention.
With this license, physicians are only allowed to write prescriptions
for themselves and immediate family members who live with them
Medical license
(spouse, children, parents, siblings).
Retiring Pennsylvania physicians have the daunting task of figPhysicians with an active-retired license are required to do all
uring out what they want to do with their license to practice. There
of
the
following:
are a few options available and each option has its own conditions
and requirements.
* Complete the biennial application and submit the required fee
to maintain the active-retired license.
Keep your active license
You may decide that you want to keep your Pennsylvania license
active after you retire. Why? There is a myriad of reasons why a
physician might choose this option. Some believe that they might
return to practice at some point and want to avoid the "hassle" of
reactivating their license. Others, although technically retired from
their day-to-day duties of fulltime practice, plan to consult or
moonlight at their convenience.

* Fulfill the mandatory child abuse recognition and reporting
training, as a condition of license renewal.
* Active-retired physicians also would need to complete the required
opioid education unless they meet one of the exceptions: don't
have a DEA registration number and don't use the DEA number
of another individual or entity.

If you decide to keep your active license, you must meet all of
the current licensure requirements:

Active-retired physicians are not required to have medical
professional liability insurance, participate in Mcare, or meet the
100 credit CME requirement.

* Complete the biennial application and pay required fee to
maintain your license.

What prescriptions can I write with an active-retired
license?

* Meet continuing medical education (CME) requirements.

With an active-retired license, a physician can only write prescriptions for themselves and immediate family members. The Mcare Act
defines immediate family members as a parent, spouse, child, or adult
sibling residing in the same household. When writing prescriptions
for themselves or immediate family members, active-retired physicians must still comply with statutory requirements and applicable
licensure board regulations.

* Fulfill mandatory child abuse recognition and reporting training,
as a condition of license renewal.
* Maintain medical professional liability insurance, including
participation in Mcare.
If you know that you want to keep your active license, but will
not practice at all, you may qualify for an exemption from the
state's medical professional liability insurance requirements. To
confirm your exemption from the malpractice requirement, you
may contact Mcare to request this information at (717) 783-3770,
Ext. 280 or find the form, along with instructions, by logging
26 Philadelphia Medicine : Summer 2020

Note this would include relevant Prescription Drug Monitoring
Program (PDMP) requirements. State Board of Medicine regulations, (see 49 Pa. Code §16.92) provide the minimum standards of
practice that allopathic physicians must adhere to when prescribing,
administering, and dispensing drugs.

https://philamedsoc.org/ https://www.insurance.pa.gov/SpecialFunds/MCARE/Pages/ Mcare-Compliance.aspx

Philadelphia Medicine Summer 2020

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