CME Now

Mandated topic

Implicit bias, health equity & cultural competency

Required in a growing list of states. Watch the fine print — several states impose conditions that generic courses do not meet.

8 free options verified August 22, 2026

Verified free options

A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care

HHS Office of Minority Health — Think Cultural Health (accredited by Ciné-Med, Inc.)

9 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account required

Federally funded, 9 credits, no cost. The most substantial free cultural competency program available.

Heads up: Site banner says the course is under review for updates, though it remains available for credit. Confirm your board accepts it — Michigan in particular requires pre/post-assessment that this does not provide.

What's Important: A Patient-Centered Approach to Contraceptive Counseling

Boston University / PICCK at Boston Medical Center

4.5 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account requiredExpires Nov 6, 2026

Massachusetts BORIM states that completing the full course lets you attribute 2.0 credits to the implicit bias requirement — finishing it in one sitting — plus 2.5 general credits.

CLAS in Maternal Health Care

HHS Office of Minority Health — Think Cultural Health

2 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account requiredExpires Sep 29, 2026

Directly relevant to Illinois' new maternal health implicit bias hour and New Jersey's perinatal bias requirement.

FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account requiredExpires Mar 30, 2028

The most efficient option for Massachusetts: 2 credits that satisfy the one-time implicit bias requirement AND double-count toward the 10-credit risk management requirement.

Advancing Health Equity Through Resistance

AMA Ed Hub — National Health Equity Grand Rounds

1.5 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account required

Useful for Washington's 2-hour health equity requirement.

Unconscious Bias in Medicine

Stanford Medicine (via StanfordOnline on edX)

1 credit
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account required

Listed by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine as an accepted free course for the one-time 2-hour implicit bias requirement. Only 1 hour, so pair it with another.

Heads up: Enroll on the free audit track — edX will upsell a paid 'verified certificate' that you do NOT need for the CME credit. Confirm the active credit window with Stanford CME.

Free LGBTQIA+ health learning modules and webinars

The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, The Fenway Institute

1 credit
FreeAAFP Prescribed (AMA-equivalent)Free account required

The leading free source of accredited LGBTQIA+ health CME and the strongest match for the District of Columbia's 2-hour requirement. AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the AMA as equivalent to Category 1. Also includes a free intimate partner violence panel.

Heads up: Credit eligibility is per-activity — confirm the credit statement inside each module.

Racial Differences in Prostate Cancer Outcomes

Massachusetts Medical Society

0.75 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account requiredExpires Sep 30, 2027

Free to members and non-members alike — MMS lists every fee tier as $0. Accepted by Massachusetts BORIM.

Where this is required

Jurisdictions that mandate this topic, with the specific hours each one asks for.

JurisdictionRequirementHours
IllinoisImplicit bias1
IllinoisCultural competency1
IllinoisMaternal health implicit bias1
MarylandImplicit bias & structural racism
MassachusettsImplicit bias2
MichiganImplicit bias3
Michigan (Osteopathic)Implicit bias3
NevadaCultural competency & DEI2
Nevada (Osteopathic)Cultural competency & DEI2
New JerseyCultural competence6
New JerseyPerinatal explicit & implicit bias1
OregonCultural competency2
WashingtonHealth equity2
Washington (Osteopathic)Health equity2

Don’t bother with these

Still recommended elsewhere, still broken.

$25, and expired 11/1/2025

University of Wisconsin ICEP — Implicit Bias in Healthcare

UW–Madison ICEP / Northern Illinois University

1.00 Category 1 credit that met the Illinois implicit bias requirement. An update is pending.