Find Answers to Common Questions
Explore frequently asked questions by topic, including Membership, Education, Healthcare Delivery, and Advocacy. You’ll also find public resources at the bottom of the page. Need more help? Contact our team.
Membership
Can MSMS help me find a new doctor?
We recommend contacting your health insurance provider, using the customer service number on the back of your insurance card. They can help you find physicians who are accepting new patients and participating in your plan's network.
How can I obtain my immunization records?
For immunization records, visit mcir.org.
How can I obtain my medical records?
Contact your healthcare provider, medical practice, or hospital directly to request copies of your medical records.
If you need additional assistance, contact the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing, at 517-241-0199 or bplhelp@michigan.gov.
How do I file a complaint against a doctor?
Please note that MSMS does not investigate or process complaints against physicians.
Complaints against physicians should be directed to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing.
Visit the complaint page to learn more about the process or submit a complaint. You may also contact LARA at 517-335-9700 for assistance.
Education
When does my medical license expire?
Visit LARA MIPLUS User Assistance at: https://aca-prod.accela.com/MILARA/GeneralProperty/PropertyLookUp.aspx?isLicensee=Y&TabName=APO
Do I need to turn in my CME certificates to LARA?
No, when renewing online you will attest that you have completed the 150 credit hours, implicit bias, pain and symptom management, medical ethics, and other one-time content. Only if you are audited will you need to submit proof of completion.
Can MSMS look up the CME certificate(s) that I took somewhere else?
Unfortunately, no, we only have access to MSMS activity.
My “unconscious bias” course is not in my LMS; why is it not showing?
The “Unconscious Bias” courses are no longer active. Please select another implicit bias course, all fulfill the requirement.
When selecting your implicit bias course, select a different course than ones you have completed previously.
For on-demand activities and courses, do I have to complete them all at once? Is there a timeframe?
No. You may stop and restart webinars at any time, and they will resume where you last left off. There is no timeframe to complete a course.
What are the licensure renewal requirements?
• 150 hours of cme, 75 hours must be in Category 1 Credit
• Implicit Bias Training – 3 hours
• Medical Ethics: 1 hour
• Pain and Symptom Management: 3 hours (1 hour must include controlled substance prescribing)
Can I get a license renewal extension? How do I apply?
Yes, anyone can take the 60 day extension and there is no application.
There is a $20 extension fee that will be applied when you apply for your license renewal.
DO NOT GO OVER THE 60 DAYS – it will result in practicing without a license.
How can I access and view my MSMS CME certificates?
1. To Access the MSMS Learning Management Portal, visit https://www.pathlms.com/msms.
2. Make sure you are signed in with your MSMS username and password.
3. If you are not signed in, do so using your MSMS username and password.
4. To access your CME certificate/s, scroll down and click on the MY CERTIFICATES button. Change the date selection from “Last 30 days” to “All Time” to see all certificates.
What are the 1-time requirements?
Human Trafficking Training – Beginning with the 2017 renewal cycle and all renewal cycles thereafter, licensees seeking renewal must certify on their renewal application that prior to renewing their license they have completed a one-time training in identifying victims of human trafficking that meets the standards in Administrative Rule R 338.120.
Opioids and Controlled Substance Awareness Training – Beginning with the 2022 renewal cycles and all renewal cycles thereafter, controlled substance licensees or individuals who are licensed to prescribe or dispense controlled substances must certify on their renewal application that prior to renewing their license they have completed a 1-time training in opioids and controlled substance awareness that meets the standards established in Administrative Rule R 338.3135.
Can I use CME credits from another state?
Yes! Just be sure the credit is listed as AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
What do I need for my initial Education Limited license?
- 3 hours Pain and Symptom Management: (1 hour must include controlled substance prescribing)
- 2 hours of Implicit Bias Training
- Human Trafficking Training – 1 time training
- Opioids and Controlled Substance Awareness Training - 1 time training
Healthcare Delivery
Where can I find information about medical records?
The MSMS Medical Records Guide for Physician Practices is one of the most comprehensive and popular documents MSMS provides. Written by MSMS Legal Counsel, it covers a range of topics from ownership of medical records to the disposition of those records upon practice closure or retirement in a question and answer format.
Additionally, as part of your membership benefits, MSMS Legal Counsel is available to help address questions regarding your obligations or actions related to a medical records-related request or situation. Contact Stacey Hettiger at shettiger@msms.org or 517-336-5766 for a referral to one of our attorneys.
What am I legally required to do with my medical records when I retire and/or close my practice?
MCL §333.16213(3) contains specific requirements applicable to you when you sell or close your practice, retire from practice or otherwise cease to practice. This law requires you not to abandon medical records which you are required to maintain for the minimum seven-year retention period (or longer period if required by other state or federal law). Additionally, following your retirement/closure of your practice, send written notice to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs specifying who will have custody of the medical records and how patients may request access to or copies of their medical records. The required notifications can be remitted by fax to (517) 241-0032, by email to BPLData@Michigan.gov, or to the following mailing address:
Bureau of Professional Licensing
P.O. Box 30670
Lansing MI 48909
In addition to your name and contact information, the notification must include the following:
- Name of facility/practice/physician (who has custody of the medical records)
- Full Mailing Address
- Phone Number
When should I contact MSMS for payment assistance?
Contact Dara Barrera, MSMS Director of Health Quality, Equity and Technology, at djbarrera@msms.org when…
- You have done everything you can to resolve claim issues, including appealing, and have been unsuccessful.
- Your claims are not being paid in a timely manner.
- You are receiving denials for services that have historically been paid.
- Your claims are being denied after obtaining prior authorization.
- You are receiving unreasonable requests for medical records.
- You are having provider enrollment issues.
How long do I/does our practice need to keep medical records?
For Michigan health professional licensing purposes, MCL §333.16213 requires that you keep your medical records for a minimum of seven years from the date of service to which the record pertains unless a longer period of time is required by another federal or Michigan law or regulation or by generally accepted standards of medical practice.
It is also important to consider whether federal statutes, payer contracts, or statute of limitations provisions require records be maintained beyond seven years. For example, FDA-certified mammography facilities are required to retain mammograms and associated records no less than ten years provided no additional mammograms are performed (21 CFR §900.12(c)(4)). Federal regulations require physicians and other providers participating in Medicare Advantage plans to retain medical records, financial records and source reports for ten years.
Regarding the statute of limitations on potential medical malpractice claims, you do not want to be in a position of having to defend a medical malpractice claim without the medical records that are the subject of the claim. The Doctors Company recommends that physicians retain medical records for at least ten years after the last visit for adult patients and up to age 28 for minors, or ten years after the patient reaches majority.
May I withhold medical records requested by a patient if payment for services rendered to them are past due?
No. Neither the HIPAA Privacy Rule nor the MMRAA permits you to withhold medical records until a past due balance is paid.
Can MSMS help me with a reimbursement/billing problem I’m having with a health plan/insurer?
MSMS continuously advocates for equitable, timely, and appropriate payment for physicians. When it comes to challenges that threaten your livelihood and ability to care for patients, MSMS is well-positioned to go to bat for members to help resolve individual cases, as well as systemic issues. Contact Dara Barrera, MSMS Director of Health Quality, Equity and Technology, at djbarrera@msms.org.
I was told I need a medical records policy. Can MSMS help me with this?
MSMS offers a Legal Alert, Medical Records Policy Licensure Requirement and Model Medical Records Policy for Michigan Physicians, to help members comply with a requirement in the Michigan Public Health Code that physicians have a written medical records policy ensuring compliance with relevant Michigan laws. Included with the Legal Alert is a sample policy.
These documents can be found in The Resource Center, accessible to members only. Interested in becoming a member? Join Today.
Will I be charged if I speak with MSMS Legal Counsel?
MSMS members can access MSMS Legal Counsel by contacting the MSMS Health Care Delivery Department at (517) 336-5766. General legal questions on a variety of issues of concern to physicians statewide (e.g., medical record retention, medical records charges, privacy issues, surprise billing, Stark, etc.) are answered for FREE as a benefit of MSMS membership. Please note, if the scope of the inquiry requires more than general legal assistance/clarification or if individual representation is needed, MSMS Legal Counsel and the MSMS member would discuss options, including charges, before proceeding.
Advocacy
How do I contact my legislators?
Use official Michigan Legislature and U.S. House and U.S. Senate websites to easily locate your state and federal legislators.
What legislation is MSMS currently tracking?
How can I find out MSMS’s position on legislation?
Visit MSMS’s Advocacy page to view our legislative agenda, mid-year and annual legislative reports, and Grassroots Action Center. You may also contact MSMS Director of Government Relations, Kate Dorsey, with your inquiry directly at kdorsey@msms.org or 517-336-5737.
I am a patient...
My physician is no longer in practice, how can I find my medical records?
If you have not done so already, you should check with the Bureau of Professional Licensing, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Call 517-241-0199 or email bplhelp@michigan.gov. You will need to provide the physician’s name to see if the Department has any medical record storage information on file from the physician.
Several years ago the law was amended to require physicians and other health care professionals who cease practicing to notify the Department of where medical records would be stored. However, if your physician retired before December 22, 2006, they would not be subject to that requirement. Also, Michigan law requires the retention of medical records for seven years from the last date of service. Therefore, older records may no longer exist.
Where do I file a complaint against a physician or other health team member?
In case the issue has simply been a misunderstanding, as a first step, the Michigan State Medical Society encourages you to communicate your concerns directly to that individual or their supervisor or practice leadership. You may do so either in person, by telephone or by written mail. Hopefully, this will enable the issue to be resolved quickly.
If you want someone to take action against the physician’s or other health professional’s license to practice, you must submit a complaint with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Click here to visit their website. You may also want to review A Citizen’s Guide to Filing a Complaint Against a Health Care Professional for more details regarding the complaint investigation process and information required.
If you wish to recover money for injuries you believe you suffered as a result of medical malpractice, you may only recover through a medical malpractice lawsuit in the courts. You should contact an attorney for advice.
Public Resources
Durable Power of Attorney (DPA) Forms
Trouble finding what you're looking for?
Contact the MSMS team for additional questions or resources not listed.