It’s White Coat Season

The start of medical school is just around the corner for first-year students at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. With that, comes the invitation to personally welcome the Class of 2028 by sponsoring the purchase of a white coat. The Ohio Osteopathic Association and individual donors provide each student with their first white coat as a gift to commemorate the beginning of their academic career as a medical student.

By making a $45 donation, you can sponsor the purchase of a coat to connect with these newest members of the Ohio osteopathic family. When you make your donation, you have the opportunity to write a short note to a new student. Your words of encouragement, advice, or any message of your choice will be printed onto an OOA notecard and tucked in the coat pocket. Students will receive their coats and notes at the Convocation & White Coat Ceremony in August.

The coats have OOA and HCOM patches, providing a sense of unity and belonging.

Make your donation online here. Be sure to write your message in the comment box.

Ohio House of Medicine Convenes Spring Meeting

OOA representatives participated today at the spring meeting of the Ohio House of Medicine. Hosted by the Ohio State Medical Association, this is a biannual meeting of all physician organizations in the state to discuss legislation, rules, and other issues impacting physicians in Ohio. OOA attendees included Board President Douglas W. Harley, DO; Executive Director Heidi Weber; and Lobbyist Danny Hurley.

Below is a summary of items that were discussed and action items for this year.

Legislation Impacting Health Insurance: There are several bills pending in the Ohio General Assembly that would modify health insurance coverage for prescription drugs and medical interventions. Most notably, OOA and other groups are backing HB 130, which establishes an expedited prior authorization process for tests and procedures where a physician receives approval for more than 95% of requests.

Other important bills include HB 24 (Biomarker Testing), HB 156 (White Bagging Prohibition), and HB 291 (Non-Medical Drug Formulary Changes). Our advocacy will continue but each of these bills have opposition from health plans and will take a significant amount of time and energy to get enacted.

Scope of Practice Issues: There are several scope of practice bills pending in the Ohio General Assembly that merit our attention. The most likely bill to see passage this year is SB 144, which expands the scope of practice for pharmacists to administer vaccines to young children. The bill has already passed the Ohio Senate and should see committee and floor votes in the Ohio House of Representatives in June. A compromise is actively being discussed.

Other bills that are concerning to the physician community are as follows: HB 97 and SB 60 (Certified Mental Health Assistants), HB 362 (CRNA Scope of Practice), and potential legislation dealing with naturopathic provider licensure and physician’s assistants.

Other Notable Bills: OOA will continue to support legislation to restrict tanning for minors (HB 159 and SB 59) as well as legislation to address hospital violence (HB 452). Additionally, we are reviewing the impact of the FTC’s recent non-compete clause ruling as it relates to another OOA-supported bill, SB 126. Sponsored by State Sen. Terry Johnson, DO, this bill places limits on non-compete terms for physicians. Lastly, we are continuing our review of two potentially harmful bills impacting the practice of medicine: HB 73 (Off-Label Prescribing) and HB 463 (Minor Medical Record Access).

The Ohio General Assembly will wrap up work for the current session in June and is not scheduled to return until after the November election. The post-election lame duck sessions are always packed with activity.

The House of Medicine also discussed pending lawsuits related to gender affirming care and abortion access. This group will meet again in the fall.

Updated OMT Coding Guide Available

The American Osteopathic Association’s Guide to Coding & Documentation: Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is a comprehensive reference guide for physician offices. It offers practical advice, best practices, and resources on clinical coding and medical records documentation for OMT procedures and same-day Evaluation & Management (E/M) services to prevent delayed reimbursement, help fight denied claims, and/or protect yourself in the event of an audit.

This updated second edition includes 2021 and 2023 E&M guideline changes and an expanded number of sample Encounter Notes and Appeal Letters.

Purchase the guide here.

Upcoming Deadlines for Certifying Boards

Application deadlines are quickly approaching. Below are deadlines in June and July for osteopathic certifying boards.

American Osteopathic Board of Anesthesiology initial primary written exam – June 1 (first deadline); initial subspecialty and OCC subspecialty exams – June 22 (first deadline); clinical exam – June 30 (first deadline); oral written exam – July 19 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology initial and OCC subspecialty exams – July 1 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine oral exam – June 21 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Family Medicine initial primary and OCC exams – July 10 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine initial and OCC subspecialty exams – June 16 (first deadline) initial primary exam – June 18 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine initial primary oral and written exams – July 15 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology primary oral and initial subspecialty exams – June 18 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Pathology initial primary and subspecialty exams – June 15 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Radiology initial subspecialty exams – June 27 (first deadline)

American Osteopathic Board of Surgery initial primary oral and clinical exams – July 25 (first deadline)

Hospice and Palliative Medicine initial and OCC exams – June 16 (first deadline)

Sleep Medicine initial and OCC exams – June 16 (first deadline)

Sports Medicine initial subspecialty exam – June 21 (final deadline)

For questions, contact Chaunessie Baggett at CBaggett@osteopathic.org.

Research Abstracts Due June 17

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) announced a call for research abstracts for OMED24. The virtual poster session provides an opportunity for researchers to share their research with a broad audience. In addition, approved abstracts are published on the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine website.

OMED is September 20-22 in San Antonio. The virtual poster session and student competition is September 20. The submission deadline is June 17.

More information is here.

Have You Received the Survey?

A national survey of physician practices led by the American Medical Association and Mathematica is underway. The objective of the Physician Practice Information (PPI) survey is to gather accurate data on practice costs and the hours of patient care that physicians provide to support fair and accurate physician payment.

Participation in the survey is voluntary but important. We urge you to complete the questionnaire if you receive it. The information you share will be kept private and reported in aggregate only.

The survey closes June 30.