11/10/2022

OSMA’s 2022 Midterm General Election Recap

November 10, 2022 – After a whirlwind midterm election day, millions of Ohio voters have made their voices heard. Overall, the candidates endorsed by the Ohio State Medical Association Political Action Committee (OSMAPAC) prevailed in the majority of races for various statewide offices. Ohio also set a record as far as early and absentee voting in a midterm election - a total of 1,392,767 votes were cast through either in-person early voting or returned absentee ballots as of the end of early voting on Monday.

11/10/2022

OSMA Joins AMA, Other Organizations in Opposition to Federal Allied Practitioner Scope of Practice Legislation

November 10, 2022 – OSMA was among dozens of national and state medical societies and associations that signed an opposition letter, expressing concerns that this bill would negatively impact the quality of care received by Medicare and Medicaid patients.

10/26/2022

Sean McCullough Joins OSMA Advocacy Team, Monica Hueckel Promoted

October 26, 2022 – Sean joins our team as our new Director of Policy and Legal Counsel. OSMA has also promoted Monica Hueckel, who has been with OSMA for more than eight years, to the role of Vice President of Advocacy.

10/20/2022

Ohio Medicaid Changes Coming: Important Updates & Training Reminders

October 20, 2022 – The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) is in the process of major administrative and program updates and changes. Many of these will directly impact physician practices. Earlier this week, ODM provided the following information and training opportunities to ensure you are up-to-date on what you need to do and know.

10/20/2022

Advocacy Update: Election Day is Approaching—and Know What’s in Store for the Rest of 2022

October 20, 2022 – Early voting began last week for the upcoming general election on Tuesday, November 8. Many important races will feature on your Ohio ballot this year, including decisions for U.S. Senate, Congress, state House and Senate and Ohio Supreme Court. Additionally, Ohioans will elect candidates for the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.

10/19/2022

October's Medical Board Meeting Recap

October 19, 2022 – At its regularly scheduled Board meeting on October 12, the Board adopted three additional offenses to its list of disqualifying offenses for application for licensure.

09/27/2022

Key Federal Legislation Update: Take Action

Sept 27, 2022 – OSMA wants to ensure Ohio physicians are aware of the following pending issues in Congress, which are highly impactful to the practice of medicine. Physicians are encouraged to reach out to their elected officials in D.C. to urge support for these federal legislative proposals using these provided links.

09/21/2022

Update on Legal Action Related to Ohio’s Six-Week Abortion Ban

Sept 21, 2022 – On September 14, Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins ruled that the state Constitution might protect the right to an abortion in Ohio, meaning temporarily, that Ohio’s law returns to 22 weeks as it was prior to the implementation of Ohio’s Heartbeat Bill earlier this summer. The judge has now indicated further plans...

09/13/2022

Register for our Advocacy Boot Camp for Physicians on Oct. 6!

Sept 13, 2022 – Plan to attend this virtual event to address what we hear from physicians every week...how to become more involved in the advocacy process.

08/24/2022

CMS Releases Revised Surprise Billing Rules & Clarifies Processes

Aug 24, 2022 – On August 19, CMS announced several updates to the federal No Surprises Act implementation. These rules relate to those covered by insurance plans regulated by the federal government.

08/04/2022

Advocacy Update: Responding to Legislative Initiatives Resulting from Supreme Court Decision on Abortion

Aug 4, 2022 – Our Government Relations team and OSMA leadership wanted to reaffirm for you that OSMA is focusing our efforts on legislative initiatives that are currently pending (or may be forthcoming in the future) as a result of the Dobbs decision.

08/02/2022

Reminder: Electronic Prescriptions

Aug 2, 2022 – Effective September 21, schedule II controlled substances must be dispensed upon an electronic prescription. Exceptions for oral or written prescriptions are permitted in the following circumstances.

07/21/2022

Webinar on Advocating for Reforms to Medicare Physician Payment

July 21, 2022 – Last month OSMA informed members about a coalition of more than 120 state medical and national specialty societies to define and develop goals to reform Medicare physician payment. Join AMA's upcoming webinar on Wednesday, July 27 to review what the coalition will be calling on Congress to do to improve the Medicare physician payment system.

07/20/2022

Reminder: CTR physician survey requirement

July 20, 2022 – To remain in compliance with Ohio law, physicians with a CTR must respond to the 2022 survey even if they have not made any recommendations. All responses must be received by July 31, 2022.

07/14/2022

Guidance on Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Implementation

July 14, 2022 – The State Medical Board of Ohio provided guidance this week regarding the rollout of Ohio’s participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Implementation date is scheduled for August 2.

07/14/2022

CMS Clarifies EMTALA Requirements Preempt State Laws

July 14, 2022 – Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra sent a letter to all hospitals and health care providers reminding them of their obligation to comply with Emergency medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA).

07/13/2022

New Opportunities for Member Participation

July 13, 2022 – We are often asked by our OSMA members how they can individually become more involved in OSMA and impact health policy in Ohio. In response, we have recently revised and expanded ways to participate.

06/28/2022

Abortion Law Status in Ohio

6/28/2022-Current Status of Abortion Laws in Ohio: On Friday the US Supreme Court released its decision in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v Wade and Casey and leaving the regulation of abortion to the states. The same day Ohio Attorney General Yost asked and the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Ohio agreed to lift the preliminary injunction...

06/23/2022

AMA Celebrates 175 Years

June 22, 2022 – Our national partner contributing to OSMA's success, the American Medical Association (AMA), marked their 175th anniversary of its founding in May 2022.

06/14/2022

OSMA's Ohio Legislature Update

June 14, 2022 – The Ohio Legislature has recessed for the summer, but the last several weeks of hearings and session were quite busy for OSMA’s Advocacy team. OSMA has been actively advocating on behalf of Ohio physicians in ongoing deliberations regarding several issues, most recently including the following...

06/14/2022

June's Medical Board Meeting Recap

June 14, 2022 – Get the updates from the regularly scheduled Board meeting on June 8, including issues concerning proposed telehealth rules and the Medical Marijuana Expert Review's recent recommendation.

06/13/2022

Amicus Brief Filed on Federal PREP Act

June 13, 2022 – OSMA, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Medical Association (AMA), is participating in an amicus brief in the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on the question of whether the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act) provides immunity from liability in a wrongful death claim against an assisted living facility for failing to take appropriate countermeasures during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

06/02/2022

OSMA Joins National Coalition to Develop Characteristics of a Rational Medicare Physician Payment System

June 2, 2022 – More than 120 other medical organizations have also endorsed a framework for Medicare payment reform. This is an early step in the efforts to develop consensus on policy recommendations that will reshape the payment system to work better for patients and physicians—and hopefully end the annual advocacy exercise of stopping impending payment cuts.

05/19/2022

Federal Advocacy Update

May 19, 2022 – OSMA continues to monitor and advocate at the federal level this month. Recent updates include details about Medicare Advantage Plans wrongly denying prior authorization requests, and momentum continuing for the federal Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act.

05/19/2022

OSMA's State Legislative Update

May 19, 2022 – As the summer recess approaches, the Ohio Legislature is bustling with activity. OSMA’s advocacy team has been on-hand to work with elected officials regarding several major topics in the past few weeks, including the following items...

05/19/2022

May's Medical Board Meeting Recap

May 19, 2022 – Rules and issues to watch from the May 11th meeting include Interstate Medical License Compact, Telehealth Rules, and Medical Marijuana.

04/28/2022

Ohio Medicaid Revises Schedule on Implementation of Major Program Changes

April 28, 2022 – Rather than launch several new programs and administrative changes on July 1, Ohio Medicaid will start OhioRISE as previously scheduled, but stagger the remaining updates to “to ensure smooth member and provider transitions.” Medicaid provided the following details regarding the timeline.

04/26/2022

Introducing OSMA’s New President: A Q&A with Brian Santin, MD

April 26, 2022 – We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Santin as our new President, and we thank Dr. Lisa B. Egbert who tactfully completed her term. Read on to learn more about Dr. Santin, his medical career, and his vision for leading OSMA.

04/21/2022

Federal Surprise Billing Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) Portal Now Active

April 21, 2022 – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) portal, which allows providers to initiate the IDR process under the No Surprises Act, is now active. Read on to learn more here and get the Ohio specifics as well.

04/21/2022

OSMA Gives Annual Awards

April 21, 2022 – The following individuals were honored at this year’s OSMA Annual Meeting for being the OSMA Physician Advocate of the Year, OSMAPAC Donor of the Year, and Voice of Medicine.

04/21/2022

April's Medical Board Meeting Recap

April 21, 2022 – See summaries from the April 13th meeting, including an interstate medical license compact update, the weight loss prescribing rule, and other rules to watch.

03/24/2022

Ohio Department of Insurance Activates Surprise Billing Arbitration Portal

March 24, 2022 – In partnership with an outside vendor Maximus Federal, the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) has now activated the portal where physicians can arbitrate certain out-of-network payments should they not receive an agreeable reimbursement from the insurer.

03/17/2022

Ohio Legislative Update: OSMA Government Relations Snapshot

March 17, 2022 – The OSMA advocacy team has been making the rounds lately, spending the past several weeks in and out of a variety of meetings with legislators and other interested parties on a number of issues that OSMA is tracking in the legislature.

03/17/2022

Federal Advocacy Updates

March 17, 2022 – OSMA continues to work with the American Medical Association (AMA) on a number of different advocacy efforts at the federal level. Last week, the AMA provided the following update on some important initiatives.

03/17/2022

Overview of Masking Guidance in Healthcare Facilities

March 17, 2022 – Since the CDC released updated guidance on wearing masks indoors at the end of February, OSMA has received some inquiries from members about recommendations for mask wearing in healthcare settings.

03/17/2022

Medical Board Meeting Recap for March

March 17, 2022 – See summaries from the March 9th meeting, including a medical marijuana update and other rules to watch.

02/23/2022

OSMA Assembles Physician Telehealth Experts to Offer Medical Board a Real-Life Perspective

February 23, 2022 – Once House Bill 122 passed in December 2021, and the Medical Board was charged with drafting rules to support the new law, OSMA quickly reached out to physician practices, health systems, and specialty medical associations to find physician telehealth experts who could offer insights and guidance to the Medical Board throughout the rule drafting process.

02/17/2022

Medical Board Recap: Comments on Proposed Rules Due March 1st

February 17, 2022 – At the February 9th meeting, the board approved an initial draft of the telehealth rules that were drafted to support the recently passed telemedicine legislation. The the board also approved an initial draft of a rule that would allow for the prescribing of weight loss medication beyond 12 weeks with provisions that would prevent overprescribing, abuse, and diversion of the medication.

02/16/2022

Physician Advocate of the Year Award: Nominations Open!

February 16, 2022 – OSMA's “Physician Advocate Award" recognizes extraordinary efforts of an OSMA physician leader who goes beyond their primary role of providing clinical treatment to their patients by advocating for the well-being of their profession, patients, and the communities they serve.

01/27/2022

Telehealth for Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

January 27, 2022 – As part of AMA's Telehealth Immersion Program, a clinical case study and an overview of techniques for delivering allergy and immunology care via Telehealth will be presented on February 18, 2022 at 11a.m. EST.

01/24/2022

OSMAPAC Gears Up for 2022; Upcoming Fall Election

January 24, 2022 – The Ohio State Medical Association Political Action Committee (OSMAPAC) advocates as the political voice for Ohio physicians by helping to elect state and federal candidates based on their commitment to physician and patient issues. And 2022 will be another big election year, and the OSMAPAC is prepping for all that elections bring. One of the first steps is to launch this year’s giving campaign!

01/21/2022

Vaccine Mandate Update & Guidance

January 21, 2022 – After the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the ban against the vaccine mandate for health care workers in CMS funded facilities, CMS issued state survey guidance for the providers in the 24 that were affected by the decision, including Ohio.

01/20/2022

Ohio's 2021 Legislative Wrap Up & 2022 Preview

January 20, 2022 – It was another hectic year for OSMA's Advocacy team with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and with many major legislative issues in the spotlight. As usual, OSMA was on-hand to discuss topics impacting the practice of medicine with legislators and testify in committee hearings. Here is our summary and preview of what's in store for 2022...

01/18/2022

Medical Board's January Recap

January 18, 2022 – The medical board is busy drafting rules to support the recently passed telemedicine legislation. Learn notable provisions of the new telehealth law, as well as the details about nine petitions for potential new qualifying conditions for medical marijuana.

01/14/2022

Federal Vaccine Mandate Update

January 14, 2022 – Based on recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, physicians and all health care workers at facilities that are subject to the Medicare and Medicaid Conditions of Participation must be vaccinated unless a medical or religious exemption applies. Physician offices are not subject to this mandate.

01/05/2022

New Surprise Billing Rule in Ohio—What to know!

January 5, 2022 – The Ohio Department of Insurance’s new rule, Ohio Administrative Code 3901-8-17, Reimbursement for Unanticipated Out-of-Network Care, is effective as of January 1, 2022. OSMA was an active participant throughout the rule drafting process.

01/04/2022

Federal Vaccine Mandates Update – How is your practice impacted?

January 4, 2022 – The US Supreme Court has announced it will hear arguments on Friday, January 7, on whether two separately-issued vaccine mandates may go into effect. One is the CMS mandate that applies to staff working at CMS-certified facilities such as hospitals, and the other is the OSHA vaccine and testing mandate that applies to all employers with more than 100 employees.

12/19/2021

OSMA Joins Amicus Brief in E-cigarettes Case

December 19, 2021 – Breeze Smoke v FDA: We're urging the court to uphold the FDA’s Final Marketing Denial Order because their decision was supported by evidence showing that the harm to the public, especially youth, was greater than the evidence provided by the company that their flavored nicotine product assisted smoking cessation more than unflavored products.

12/16/2021

Telehealth Legislation Passes Ohio Legislature

December 16, 2021 – Telehealth rules relaxed by the state Medical Board during the pandemic are becoming permanent. Governor DeWine is expected to sign House Bill 122 into law later this month, and the legislation will become effective 90 days after it is signed.

12/15/2021

Legislation Passes to Avert Most Medicare Cuts in 2022

December 15, 2021 – Due in part to the advocacy efforts of OSMA and Ohio physicians and with the leadership of the AMA and national specialty societies, congress passed legislation late last week to avert most of the scheduled Medicare physician cuts scheduled to start on January 1. We are thankful for all the calls and emails from Ohio physicians that helped make a difference, and we thank both Senators Brown and Portman for their votes.

12/15/2021

Ohio Anti-Vaccine Mandate Legislation Update

December 15, 2021 – OSMA last updated members on HB 218 when it passed in the House in November. Since that point, your OSMA advocacy team has continued to help lead the coalition against the bill, which is comprised of over 100 organizations in business, manufacturing, education and health care, representing over a million Ohioans. 

12/14/2021

Medical Board's December 2021 Meeting Highlights

December 14, 2021 – The State Medical Board of Ohio met on December 8, 2021. Here are highlights from the meeting, including leadership election updates and the physician assistant consult agreement rules effective December 31.

12/13/2021

Provider Relief Fund Reporting—Deadline Extended

December 13, 2021 – The Department of Health and Human Services issued the following statement at the end of last week extended the Provider Relief Funding Reporting one additional time until December 20.

08/01/2019

Ohio Physicians Give Feedback on Medicaid Managed Care Program

Many of our members provide daily patient care to Ohio’s Medicaid population and thus are uniquely qualified to provide meaningful information to assist the Ohio Department of Medicaid in its upcoming competitive Medicaid managed care procurement process. The comments we received from our members generally centered on areas where improvement is most desired, including plan accountability, grievances and appeals, provider support, benefits and delivery, and care coordination and management.

07/23/2019

Wrap Up: Ohio Delegation to the American Medical Association

Your OSMA Delegation to the AMA worked diligently on behalf of Ohio physicians during the recent 2019 Annual Meeting in Chicago. Ohio resolutions were carried forward and either adopted as new policy or committed the AMA to continue existing policy for another ten years.

07/18/2019

Ohio Budget Process Complete

The OSMA Government Relations team has been engaging with legislators on health care-related budget items since the governor’s initial proposal was released, and has been following and participating in the ongoing debates about a number of health policy decisions.

03/28/2019

Dollars & Sense: The State Budget

Earlier this week, the state budget became a bill on Capitol Hill—or at least on Capitol Square in Columbus, Ohio. The OSMA has completed an initial review of the bill language...

02/28/2019

OSMA Goes to Washington

Earlier this month, several OSMA members along with the OSMA Government Relations staff traveled to Washington DC to meet with members of Congress to discuss how existing laws are affecting patients and practices.

02/14/2019

What is the OSMA Doing for You?

With a new governor in office and Ohio legislators back at the Statehouse, the OSMA is putting our advocacy agenda—based on the priorities of our members—in motion.

01/08/2019

Ohio’s Lame Duck Legislative Session 2018 – What Happened & What You Should Know

The final months of 2018 were a whirlwind beyond the usual frenzied legislative activity of “lame duck” – with Ohio’s legislators staying in session until just days before the Christmas holiday, and returning for more action just days after. This scenario is extremely rare and hasn’t happened in Ohio’s legislature to this extent in decades.