AOA HOD Convenes

More than 500 DOs and osteopathic medical students from across the country—including 33 Ohioans—are in Chicago this week for the American Osteopathic Association House of Delegates.

The HOD is the AOA’s legislative body and speaks for the members of the association and for the osteopathic profession. The introduction of business is through the presentation of resolutions on behalf of a delegation or individuals. Reports from the Board of Trustees and AOA Bureaus, Councils and Committees on topics of interest to physicians or in response to previously adopted or referred resolutions also are routinely received as business. The resolutions are referred to a reference committee for consideration. Following the testimony received in open session, the reference committee deliberates and prepares a report with recommendations to the full House. It is the HOD that ultimately takes action on all items of business.

Ohio delegates were elected at the OOA House of Delegates, held in April in conjunction with the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium. Five policy positions approved at that meeting were submitted for consideration at the AOA House.

Look for the AOA HOD meeting summary in OSTEOFACTS next Friday.

Deadline July 26
Coats & Notes

The start of the academic year is just around the corner for first-year students at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. We invite you to welcome the Class of 2028 by making a donation to the OOA White Coat Fund.

For a donation of $45, you can make a meaningful impact by sponsoring the purchase of a white coat for a new student. Along with your contribution, you have the opportunity to share words of inspiration or advice directly. Your personalized message will be printed on an OOA notecard and placed in the coat pocket at the Convocation & White Coat Ceremony, creating a connection from donor to recipient.

Make your donation by July 26 on the OOA website here.

OOPAC Contributes to Candidates

The Ohio Osteopathic Political Action Committee (OOPAC) issued contributions to candidates for the Ohio General Assembly this week. The check run included 37 candidates for Ohio House and Ohio Senate seats totaling $20,500.

OOPAC’s purpose is to support state legislators who have demonstrated their beliefs in and the principles to which osteopathic medicine is dedicated. In addition, OOPAC shapes health care policy by educating legislators about issues and how proposed legislation can affect patients and communities. A strong PAC helps to open doors and strengthen the osteopathic voice at the Ohio Statehouse.

All 99 seats in the Ohio House are up for election in November. State reps are elected for a two-year term. In the Ohio Senate, 16 of the 33 seats are on the ballot. State senators are elected for a four-year term. Election day is November 5, though early voting begins October 8.

Learn more about OOPAC and make your contribution here.

See a Demo of Ohio’s New Vital Records System

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Bureau of Vital Statistics is replacing its Integrated Perinatal Health Information System (IPHIS) and Electronic Death Registration System (ODRS) with a single new Ohio Vital Records System (OVRS) scheduled to go live on January 1, 2025. OVRS will become the single electronic vital records system used to record births and deaths in Ohio.

The Bureau has completed internal testing of OVRS and now wants to showcase some new functionality to users of the current systems – including funeral homes, coroners/medical examiners, birth facilities, medical facilities, physicians, and local health departments – and get feedback to help inform further development. The relevant sessions are scheduled for:

• Physicians/Medical Facilities - August 21, 12:00-1:00 pm
• Coroners/Medical Examiners - July 31, 12:00-1:00 pm

The ODH vendor, VitalChek, will conduct the virtual demos. VitalChek provides vital records services in 14 states and has grown in popularity due to its ability to allow for all vital records functions to be performed in one integrated system, including collecting data, processing transactions, and printing documents.

Meeting invitations are being sent via email to existing IPHIS-EDRS users. If you are a current user and have not received an invitation or have questions, contact VS.Helpdesk@odh.ohio.gov.

Ohio Crisis Lifeline Handles 14,000 Contacts Monthly

Two years after its debut, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a proven safety net for thousands of Ohioans each month who face emotional distress or thoughts of suicide.

Since its launch on July 16, 2022, the service has grown steadily. In that time, Ohio’s 19 call centers – the most of any state in the nation – have responded to nearly 340,000 calls, texts, and chats: an average of more than 14,000 contacts each month.

Ohio 988’s average speed-to-answer rate is 25 seconds, compared to 36 seconds nationally, and since its launch, the average amount of calls rolling over to the national 988 network is just 2%, reflecting a workforce capacity that allows the vast majority of calls from Ohioans to be answered in-state, by individuals with knowledge of local resources that can make a difference in a crisis.

Anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis – or their family members – can call, text, or chat the confidential 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to reach a trained specialist who can offer assistance. Reasons to call 988 include, but are not limited to: thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, financial and relationship struggles, and any other kinds of serious emotional distress.

Slightly more than one-third of Ohioans (36%) currently express familiarity with the service, compared to 17% nationally. To further boost visibility of the service, OhioMHAS launched a statewide, multimedia awareness campaign in May. This effort included the introduction of the Ohio988 Materials Generator, which allows anyone to create customized posters, videos, social media posts, and more materials promoting the service and how it can help people.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org for 24/7, confidential support. You can also learn more at mha.ohio.gov/988.

Congress Introduces Prior Authorization Legislation

Many seniors experience delays in receiving essential medical care due to the prior authorization requirements imposed by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. These requirements not only delay care but also create significant administrative burden for physicians, diverting valuable time from patient care to paperwork. Thanks to dedicated advocacy efforts by the AOA and DOs across the country, Congress recently introduced the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (HR 8702/S 4518), aimed at alleviating these challenges by simplifying the prior authorization process for MA plans. This bipartisan bill proposes to:

• Implement an electronic prior authorization system for MA plans, including standardized transactions and clinical attachments.
• Enhance transparency regarding MA prior authorization requirements and their application.
• Define the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) authority to set timeframes for electronic prior authorization requests, ensuring expedited determinations, real-time decisions for commonly approved items and services and timely responses to other authorization requests.
• Strengthen beneficiary protections to enhance enrollee experiences and outcomes.
• Mandate the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other relevant agencies to report to Congress on efforts to maintain program integrity and explore additional improvements to the electronic prior authorization process.

This bipartisan legislation had 378 cosponsors last cycle and even passed the US House of Representatives. The profession will continue to advocate for this important legislation.

Ohio Data Shows Mental Health Challenges

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and Ohio data shows that Black and Hispanic Ohioans experience more mental distress than the state overall and are also more likely to face challenges in obtaining needed mental health care.

According to 2021 data from the Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey (OMAS), 12.3% of Hispanic adults in Ohio and 10.7% of Black adults in Ohio reported feeling mentally distressed for 14 or more days over the past month, compared to the overall state rate of 8.2%. That equals more than 110,000 Black Ohioans and more than 35,000 Hispanic Ohioans reporting frequent mental distress.

In addition, many Ohioans of color are not getting the care they need. According to OMAS, 11.7% of Hispanic Ohioans (more than 31,000) and 10.2% of Black Ohioans (more than 98,000) had an unmet mental health need in the past 12 months, compared to the state overall (7.5%).

For more information, see the Health Policy Institute of Ohio dashboard here.