The Ohio Physician and Allied Health Care Workforce Preparation Task Force delivered its initial report to leaders of the Ohio General Assembly on February 2. The task force, created in the state’s last biennial budget bill, is taking a broad look at healthcare workforce shortages and maldistribution in Ohio. The task force will advise the Ohio Department of Higher Education as they work to study, evaluate, and make recommendations with respect to healthcare workforce needs in Ohio.
Recommendations contained within the report include:
Data Availability and Transparency: The Health Professions Data Warehouse should be finalized with input from the Department of Administrative Services, InnovateOhio Platform, health professional licensing boards, and other stakeholders as deemed appropriate. To the greatest extent possible, the data should be publicly available to facilitate sharing and transparency.
Pipeline Enhancement: Recruitment, placement, and retention of healthcare learners should be a focus area to increase the volume and availability of qualified healthcare workers addressing the greatest health challenges throughout the state. Strategies should be targeted at rural and other underserved areas through innovation, clinical exposure to underserved settings, and educational costs/reimbursement. Placing a priority on identifying the types of providers needed in the different areas of the state will benefit these efforts.
Educational Opportunities: The involvement of educational institutions and training providers at all levels of the educational spectrum should be enhanced to create affordable, accessible, and innovative opportunities for students, including underrepresented minorities, who want to enter or up-skill within the healthcare workforce.
Serving All Ohioans: Targeted strategies should be developed and enhanced to focus efforts on serving the people living in Health Professional Shortage Areas as well as other geographically underserved population areas of the state to ensure that all Ohioans are able to achieve their full health potential. Investigating practice methods, population health management, practice style, and payment methods should be included.
Ohio Academy of Family Physicians President Anna McMaster, MD, serves as the Academy’s official representative on the Ohio Physician and Allied Health Care Workforce Preparation Task Force. In addition, OAFP Lobbyist David Paragas, JD, serves on the 31-member group as do OAFP members Andy Filak, MD (representing medical school deans) and Ted Wymyslo, MD (representing the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers).
The initial report of the task force was due on March 1.