Ohio Academy of Family Physicians President Don Mack, MD; Executive Vice President Ann Spicer, Deputy Executive Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE; and Lobbyist David Paragas represented the OAFP at the Ohio Coalition of Primary Care Physicians meeting on September 10 at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dublin, OH. The meeting was hosted by the Ohio Osteopathic Association.
Attendees reviewed state legislation and regulations that impact primary care. Legislative topics ranged from scope issues (including psychologist prescribing and physical therapists diagnosing) and opioid prescribing restrictions to price transparency and step therapy. A considerable amount of time was spent discussing House Bill 273, a bill that would prohibit a physician from being required to secure maintenance of certification as a condition of obtaining licensure, reimbursement, employment, or privileges. A hallmark of professionalism is self-regulation and any effort to weaken professional self-regulation should be weighed carefully.
Regulatory topics included medical marijuana, opioid prescribing, development of a medical board non-disciplinary process for physicians with a mental illness diagnosis, and medication assisted treatment.
Guest speakers included Ted Wymyslo, MD, chief medical officer for the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers; Ken Johnson, DO, dean of the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and chair of the Ohio Council of Medical School Deans; and Monica Juenger, director of Stakeholder Relations for the Governor’s Office of Health Transformation.
Dr. Wymyslo addressed Indiana’s efforts to address health care workforce priorities through data collection and incentivizing medical schools to meet population needs through distribution of graduate medical education (GME) funding.
Dr. Johnson, as chair of the Council of Medical School Deans, plans to schedule a meeting of the deans for the purpose of meeting with the member organizations of the Ohio Coalition of Primary Care Physicians to once again approach the topic of a GME funding distribution formula that incentivizes the production of physicians in specialties that meet population needs. The OAFP tried to engage the deans in this conversation two years ago but with limited success. We welcome the support of our other primary care colleagues in this effort.
Ms. Juenger discussed the continued development of the Medicaid payment based on episodes of care and the administration’s ongoing commitment to the Ohio Comprehensive Primary Care program despite the Ohio General Assembly’s failure to fund the program in the recently-passed state budget.
The OAFP joins the Ohio Osteopathic Association; the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; the Ohio Chapter, American College of Physicians/American Society of Internal Medicine; and the Ohio Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians as founding members of the Ohio Coalition of Primary Care Physicians. Partner/affiliate associations include the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, and Ohio Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.