Ohio Statehouse

 

OAPA is your legislative advocate for the PA profession, working to eliminate barriers so that you may practice in Ohio at the top of your license.

**Compelling New Research Supports Expanded PA Practice**

How can you support this advocacy?

  1.  Become an OAPA member, maintain your membership through dues renewal, and encourage others to join. When it comes to government advocacy, strength in numbers is critical!

  2.  Contribute to the OAPA Legislative Fund and the OAPA PAC.

  3.  Stay informed of PA practice issues in Ohio, share legislative news with your colleagues, and make your voice heard when OAPA alerts our membership community to take action on impending legislation.

  4.  Reach out to us at oapa@ohiopa.com with your legislative questions and concerns.

 


Current Priorities

 
 
Passed by the Senate and currently in committee in the House, this bill would add Ohio to the list of states participating in the PA Licensure Compact. If passed, this law could assist with telehealth to expand medical care to more patients, allow for consistent follow up with patients who may be out of state, and expand access to more quality providers and quicker appointments.
 
 
 
 
Passed by the Senate and currently in committee in the House, this bill would include PAs among other advance practice providers to permit their signature on documents related to hospital patient admission, treatment, and discharge.
 
 
 
Both of these bills are currently in committee in the chambers in which they were introduced. These bills would create new health care professions that may negatively affect PA practice, so OAPA is engaging with stakeholders and monitoring these bills closely.
 
 
Additional Legislative Priorities/Activities:
  • Title change for the PA profession (from Physician Assistant to Physician Associate - read more on this from AAPA)
  • Enhancing PA practice through pink slip ability (related HB249 is House Committee)
  • Removing restrictions to allow PAs to perform moderate sedation, among other actions.
  • Noncompete provisions in health care professions (SB126 currently in Senate Committee)
 

Select Accomplishments

 
 
Signed into law in December 2018 and taking effect in March 2019, this bill:
  • Removed the PA formulary
  • Increased the ratio of PAs to supervising physicians to 5-1
  • Allowed for out-of-state and military PAs without a Masters Degree to obtain Ohio PA licensure with two years of practice immediately preceding application
  • Allowed for PAs with a Masters Degree but who did not apply for prescriptive authority when the law previously changed to now obtain prescriptive authority
  • Made changes to the PAPC, including allowing meetings to be conducted by teleconference or videoconference and reducing the number of pharmacists to one
 
 
Signed into law in September 2018 and taking effect throughout 2018 and 2019, this bill:
  • Eliminated the requirement that each physician assistant supervision agreement be submitted to, and reviewed by, the State Medical Board of Ohio.

None at this time.