After months of pushing legislation to eliminate the one-bite program, the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) is proposing to withdraw its draft legislation and maintain the one-bite program as it exists for now while a working group is convened to address known gaps in the one-bite rule. The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians would be represented on the one-bite working group.
While the working group meets, licensees can continue to report confidentially to either a treatment provider or to the Ohio Physicians Health Program (OPHP) who can assess one-bite rule eligibility.
From the beginning the OAFP and other members of the Medical Associations Coalition (MAC) have been asking for an opportunity to work with the SMBO to improve the program while maintaining a means for licensees to seek treatment without reporting to the SMBO. The SMBO has finally conceded that it does understand the concerns expressed that requiring licensees report to the SMBO for approval to participate in the one-bite program would essentially eliminate any voluntary participation in the program.
The MAC is meeting again on Thursday, February 11, at the OAFP office to regroup given SMBO’s change in stance.
For additional information on the one-bite reporting exemption, visit the OAFP website.