The Ohio Coalition of Primary Care Physicians met virtually on September 10. Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) President Teresa Zryd, MD, MSPH; OAFP President-Elect Doug Harley, DO; Executive Vice President (EVP) Ann Spicer; Deputy EVP Kate Mahler, CAE; and lobbyist David Paragas, JD, represented the OAFP at the meeting hosted by the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Physicians.
Much of the discussion focused on immunizations – from vaccine hesitancy and how to increase vaccination rates to legislation being considered in the Ohio General Assembly to weaken vaccination requirements in Ohio. Attendees strategized about how best to oppose House Bill (HB) 248, the anti-vaccine bill being heard in the Ohio House Health Committee. While supporters of the legislation are unlikely to change their position, it is important that the legislators who oppose the bill continue to hear from us via letters, email, social media posts, letters to the editor, and opinion/editorial pieces published in both the statewide and local press. The group also spoke about the importance of making public statements against the off-label use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment.
Attendees held a wrap-up discussion of the state budget focusing in on the medical conscience clause, which was objectionable from a content and process adoption perspective. Also discussed was the delay in implementing Medicaid managed care contracts; originally scheduled for implementation in January 2022, they will now not be implemented until July 2022.
Telehealth was another important topic of discussion for the group as action on HB 122 is anticipated and as a result, the State Medical Board of Ohio has delayed its reinstatement of its rules pertaining to patients not seen by the physician until the end of the calendar year.
Other legislation reviewed included HB 135 (cost-sharing included in out-of-pocket maximum/deductible calculations), HB 153 (non-medical formulary switching), and HB 221 (advanced practice registered nurse scope of practice). Legislators’ immediate time upon returning from summer recess will be spent redrawing Ohio’s state senate, house, and congressional district lines.
Regulatory issues to be monitored include telemedicine rules, rules governing Ohio’s participation in the interstate licensing compact, podiatry scope, surprise billing rules, and the redrafting of mental health questions on the medical licensure application.
The coalition’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) group met on June 15 and agreed to focus its work on building diverse boards, creating a warehouse of health equity resources available via the OAFP website, and sharing programming on DEI topics. In that spirit, the OAFP announced that it will hold a Limiting Implicit Bias program on Wednesday, November 3, at the Nationwide Conference Center. Coalition partners will be able to register and attend at a discounted price.
Participants in the meeting, in addition to those from the OAFP, included the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Ohio Osteopathic Association, the Ohio State Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Physicians, the American College of OB/Gyns, Ohio Section, the Ohio State Medical Association, and the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers.