New Videos Released in Scholar Series

Scholar Teacher Part 2 is a continuation of Scholar Teacher, a faculty development resource for residency programs with Osteopathic Recognition.

The new video set was developed by Robert W. Hostoffer, Jr., DO, who founded the Scholar Series four years ago. All of the videos are free to view and use. Scholar Teacher, Part 2 is divided into five sections: Introduction, Case Introduction, OMM Lab, Becoming the Teacher, and Skills Prompt.

See the entire series and get more details at the OOA website.

OOPAC Surveys Candidates

The Ohio Osteopathic Political Action Committee (OOPAC), OOA’s political arm, supports candidates committed to protecting patient care by ensuring physicians serve as the leader in a team approach to medicine. The PAC supports candidates who promote patient safety and quality care by guaranteeing health care providers treat within their scope of practice.

To assist OOA members with their choices in this year’s election, OOPAC issued a candidate questionnaire focused on health care. All candidates for the Ohio House of Representative and Ohio Senate were surveyed. Responses will be posted on the OOA website as they are returned.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, but early voting starts Tuesday. To check polling hours and locations, go to the Secretary of State website. 

OARRS Account Update and Delegate Reverification Workflow

As of September 30, OARRS users are prompted to update or confirm their PMP AWARxE Profile information on a biannual basis. The purpose of this verification requirement is to ensure all OARRS profile information is up-to-date and accurate.

Additionally, OARRS will also be requiring semi-annual confirmation of all linked delegates to protect the security of the patient data in the system.

Emails to account holders indicating they have 45 days to complete this verification process were sent starting this week.

OARRS account holders are strongly encouraged to log in to verify the required information. Failure to confirm account details and delegates may disrupt user access, including delegate access.

IMPORTANT: This provision will not impact integrated systems where OARRS information is directly accessed via an electronic medical record or pharmacy dispensing system.

For more information on these processes, the Board has developed the following guidance documents:

• Delegate Reverification Workflow
• OARRS Account Update

For any additional questions, account holders should contact the OARRS Department.

COVID-19 Update

President Donald Trump announced early this morning on Twitter that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. It came hours after a White House aide with whom he had recently traveled, had also tested positive. To date, 7 million in the US have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and over 200,000 have died from the disease.

In Ohio, 11 counties are now under Red Alert, up from nine last week and five counties two weeks ago. They are: Ashland, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, Mercer, Montgomery, Muskingum, Pike, Putnam, Richland, and Scioto counties. Red is considered a Level 3 public emergency because of very high exposure and spread. Richland County is on the borderline of a Level 4 public emergency with severe exposure and spread. A county-by-county summary was released this week showing cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Prevalence testing conducted in July and included a sample of 727 adults. The study showed that approximately .9 percent of Ohioans were likely infected with COVID-19 during the study, and approximately 1.5 percent had prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies during the study period in July.

The wastewater monitoring program has identified six communities with a sustained increase in gene fragments found in their wastewater: Dayton, Columbus, Akron, Oregon, Sandusky, and Mansfield. The Ohio Department of Health is currently monitoring 36 sites across the state and an additional 25 sites will be added during the coming month.  

Seven states are included in the Ohio travel advisory map this week. These states report recent average positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19: Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin. Ohioans are advised against visiting any state reporting a 15% or higher positive testing rate.

DeWine Prepares to Overhaul Ohio Medicaid

Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week the Ohio Department of Medicaid will open a new application for businesses interested in providing managed care plans for children and adults in the program. He said the request for proposals is part of a new vision for Ohio’s Medicaid program that focuses on people, not just the business of managed care. He said the overhaul will improve care, especially for those with special needs and will focus on wellness. He emphasized changes to the managed care plans will not disrupt Ohioans’ coverage or access to care.

A second managed care application will be issued later this fall to specifically serve children who have complex behavioral health needs.

Three million people are covered under Ohio Medicaid.