Telemedicine Update

During its meeting this week, November 10, the State Medical Board of Ohio voted to extend the enforcement date of its regulation requiring in-person visits until March 31, 2022. Recall in August the Board decided to extend the date until December 31, 2021. Watch the Board’s latest discussion here.

The most recent telehealth guidance, in the form of an FAQ, was approved by the SMBO at the August 11 meeting. It is intended to help providers and patients prepare for this resumption of enforcement.

CME Saturday

Simply CME, a day-long virtual event, is tomorrow, Saturday, November 13. The program offers 8 AOA Category 1-A credits and a discounted registration fee for OOA members. The day begins at 10 am. (Please note that times are shown in CST on the agenda.)
 
Presentations include:

• Psychopharmacology for the Primary Care Physician
• Common Lower Extremity Injuries
• Preventing Geriatric ADEs
• Tobacco Cessation: Leading the Way
• In Search of the Optimal Diet to Live Long and Live Well
• More than Pills: Contraception 101 for non-OBGYNs
• Interstitial Cystitis Bladder Pain Syndrome
• Technology and Clinic Workflow for Diabetes

Lectures are pre-recorded with the speakers live on the day of the event for a Q&A. OOA members enjoy a 20% discount on the registration rate!

Register here.

New Law Allows Fireworks Discharge

Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 172, the fireworks bill, on Monday. Because the bill included an emergency clause the legislation became law immediately upon the Governor’s signature.

HB 172 legalizes the discharge of consumer grade fireworks, including bottle rockets, firecrackers, and missiles, on certain holidays and with minimal safety restrictions in place.

The Ohio Fireworks Safety Coalition, a statewide organization with more than 50 members—including the OOA—has asked DeWine to encourage local governments to pass ordinances prohibiting discharge. The Coalition also encourages the State Fire Marshal to adopt rules that will promote safety and oversight to the greatest extent possible.

COVID Cases Tick Up

After weeks of declining case counts, Ohio is seeing an uptick—to 410.5 cases per 100,000 people. On Tuesday Gov. Mike DeWine said clearly the pandemic is not over despite the feeling among many Ohioans. “The rate we are at today, we’re at about statewide I think about three-and-a-half times what’s considered to be a high incidence level,” he said. “The lowest county is still double the high incidence level.”

This morning, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, held a press conference to urge parents and guardians to vaccinate their children 5-11 years old. Since the state started to distribute the pediatric vaccine last week, more than 34,000 in this age group have started the process.

For vaccine providers: You can now order smaller packages of the new Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine pediatric formulation for children ages 5-11.

During the initial rollout of the newly authorized vaccine, Pfizer offered direct shipment with a minimum order of 300 doses. Now, that minimum order is 100 doses. This offers a convenient new ordering option for providers who are interested in administering the vaccine to children in this age group but were awaiting smaller shipment size options. The Ohio Department of Health Receipt, Store, and Stage (RSS) Warehouse will continue to break down and redistribute the vaccine in batches of 50 doses for those providers seeking a smaller quantity than 100 doses.

As of this afternoon, 59.73% of eligible Ohioans (age 5 and up) have started the vaccine process.

COVID-19 Vaccine Training and Education

Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs continues to host daily webinars for all providers. These sessions cover medical updates, storage, handling, and administration as well as information about the Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year olds.

Sessions will be updated to reflect new information and changes that evolve. Such updates will be identified at the start of each training and further explained during each presentation.

The November schedule, which includes links to each session, is here.

OMS in Central Ohio: You’re Invited

The OOA Board of Trustees invites you to a study break reception tomorrow Saturday, November 13, at the HCOM Dublin campus. The event begins at 4:00 pm in the 4th floor lounge. The Board meets that day on campus and will adjourn in time for the reception.

We know many of you are studying for an exam on the 15th—so this is the perfect chance to take a break. Chat with osteopathic leaders over dessert and a drink.

Sign up here!

Symposium Survey Still Open

We really want to hear from you! If you haven’t taken the survey yet, please do. Your responses will help inform decisions related to the 2022 Ohio Osteopathic Symposium.
 
Each year we work to ensure the Symposium offers a quality CME program. With the pandemic, we’re also working to make sure it is as safe and accessible as possible. There are issues such as employer restrictions on travel, venue requirements, capability of distancing, and other concerns that impact the event.
 
The survey is very short. There are six multiple choice questions and should take less than a minute to complete. 
 
Be sure to mark your calendar: Thursday, April 28-Sunday, May 1, 2022.

P&T Committee Seeks Two DOs

The Ohio Department of Medicaid is seeking two OOA representatives to serve on the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee.
 
The Committee, comprised of 10 members, is responsible for reviewing and recommending medications and related products for the preferred drug list. The Unified Preferred Drug List (UPDL) is maintained through a review of current evidence-based medicine and based on the professional judgment of physicians, pharmacists, and other experts.
 
Meetings are held quarterly in Columbus. More information is here.
 
If interested, contact Executive Director Matt Harney at mattharney@OhioDO.org.