Complete Story
06/15/2021
Medical Board's June Meeting Highlights
The State Medical Board of Ohio met on June 9, 2021. Below are highlights from the meeting:
Podiatric Scope of Practice
The State Medical Board of Ohio is seeking public comments on podiatric scope of practice to assist with its rule-making process.
In June 2019, the State Medical Board of Ohio considered a request from a podiatrist as to whether five specific procedures were within the scope of practice of a podiatrist. The Board determined that four of the five procedures were within the scope of practice of a podiatrist. After the Board issued its determination on this issue, concerns were raised with respect to two of the specific procedures that were determined to be within the podiatric scope of practice:
- Is it permissible for a podiatrist in Ohio to perform a supramalleolar osteotomy of the tibia or fibula to correct a deformity?
- Is it permissible for a podiatrist in Ohio to harvest bone marrow aspirate from the proximal tibia?
In May 2021, the State Medical Board appeared before the Joint Commission on Agency Rule Review (“JCARR”) for consideration as to whether the policy determination should be specified in a rule. Prior to receiving the determination from JCARR, the State Medical Board of Ohio decided to commence the rule-making process on this issue. Given the differences from the affected parties, the Board has decided to first solicit comments from interested parties to inform the rule-making process.
The OSMA is closely following this issue and we encourage all physicians who have expertise in this area of medicine to provide comments to the medical board. Comments must be received no later than July 6, 2021. Please provide comments to: Kimberly.Anderson@med.ohio.gov.
Medical Marijuana
Patients suffering from Huntington’s disease, spasticity, and terminal illness may now legally treat their conditions with medical marijuana upon a recommendation from a physician holding a certificate to recommend medical marijuana.
The board has defined “terminal illness” as a qualifying condition for which a prospective patient has received a diagnosis for a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course.
Duty to Report— 1-Hour CME Requirement
The medical board discussed the feedback they are receiving from physicians who have taken the board’s 1-Hour CME course designed to educate physicians on the duty to report to the State Medical Board of Ohio. While OSMA has heard some concerns regarding the board’s online course, the medical board reported that the majority of the feedback received has been positive. The board did acknowledge it was exploring ways to enhance the video, including adding a more secure method to generate the CME certificate. We will continue to work with the Board and provide feedback as we receive it.
Effective May 31, 2021, physicians are required to complete one hour of Continuing Medical Education (CME) on the topic of a licensee’s duty to report misconduct, with enforcement to commence with renewal or reinstatement applications submitted on or after July 1, 2021.
OSMA has long advocated, and has policy, against one-size-fits-all mandatory Continuing Medical Education (CME) content as a condition for licensure, advocating instead that educational needs be determined by the physician, based on the practitioners’ practice, specialty and patient population.
Despite objections from OSMA and others, the medical board passed the new CME requirement. Many stakeholders, including OSMA, asked the medical board to provide an educational tool to aid physicians in fulfilling this requirement.
Physicians can access the one-hour course here. Physicians are encouraged to read the Frequently Asked Questions and Tips and Technical Requirements prior to watching the video.
If you have taken the course, the OSMA would like to hear your thoughts! Email comments to the OSMA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Jennifer Hayhurst, at jhayhurst@oma.org
