REVISED- Public Health Code – General Rules pertaining to Implicit Bias Training
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) have revised the Public Health Code – General Rules pertaining to implicit bias training standards to allow asynchronous teleconference or webinars as acceptable modalities, which was previously prohibited. The Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) has been in communication with the Administration and other stakeholders to make this training more accessible to the physician and provider community.
MSMS thanks LARA for being flexible in the training requirements to allow for better access to this important training for all of Michigan’s health care professionals.
As a reminder, LARArequires implicit bias training for physicians (and other health care professionals), effective June 1, 2022. The requirements apply to both new applicants as well as those renewing their existing licenses or registrations.
An applicant for license renewal shall have completed a minimum of 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of the applicant’s license or registration cycle. An applicant for new licensure, both limited and medical, shall have completed a minimum of 2 hours of implicit bias training within the 5 years immediately preceding issuance of the license or registration.
Physicians will need to report implicit bias credits when they renew their license. Those who renewed in January 2022, needed no training. Training that was taken prior to June 1, 2021, and within the license cycle that is up for renewal, qualifies toward the requirement for renewals.
| Renewal Timeframe | Implicit Bias Training Hours Needed |
| June 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022 | None |
| June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023 | 1 hour |
| June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024 | 2 hours |
| June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025 | 3 hours |
The implicit bias training for licensure has additional requirements and differs from the other mandated CME areas. Training must include strategies to reduce disparities in access to and delivery of health care services and the administration of pre- and post-test implicit bias assessments. With the revised rule, acceptable modalities of training include asynchronous teleconference or webinars.
Training content must include, but is not limited to, 1 or more of the following topics:
- Information on implicit bias, equitable access to health care, serving a diverse population, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and cultural sensitivity.
- Strategies to remedy the negative impact of implicit bias by recognizing and understanding how it impacts perception, judgment, and actions that may result in inequitable decision making, failure to effectively communicate, and result in barriers and disparities in the access to and delivery of health care services.
- The historical basis and present consequences of implicit bias based on an individual’s characteristics.
- Discussion of current research on implicit bias in the access to and delivery of health care services.
For more information on MSMS Implicit Bias courses www.msms.org/education
For questions, please contact Rebecca Blake at 517-336-5729.
