On January 24, the Ohio Senate passed House Bill (HB) 145, a bill to establish a confidential program for the treatment of physicians who are impaired by substance abuse. The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, as a member of the Medical Association Coalition, has been working on this issue for years.
The OAFP supports a confidential reporting program as physicians who may need some sort of addiction or substance abuse counseling or treatment will be more likely to seek that help sooner if a confidential program exists.
The bill passed as an emergency measure. Once the Ohio House of Representatives concurs with the Senate-passed version of the bill, HB 145 will be sent to Governor Kasich for his signature. Once signed by the governor, the rules writing process for immediate implementation of the measure will begin. The OAFP will continue to monitor this process.