Your Guide to Legislative Candidates

Voting has begun in Ohio and the Ohio Osteopathic Political Action Committee (OOPAC) has information to assist you with your choices. OOPAC issued a survey to all candidates for the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate to assess their health care platforms.

To date, 35 responses have been received with more questionnaires rolling in every day. You can view the completed questionnaires here. The website is updated on a rolling basis as questionnaires are received.

OOPAC is OOA’s political arm and 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.

Of note, we have two DOs running for office. State Sen. Terry Johnson, DO, is running to retain his seat in southern Ohio and challenger Rachael Morocco, DO, is running for state representative in House District 67, north of Columbus.

Here’s a calendar of days and times for early voting. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.

Statehouse News

OOA Health Policy Committee Chair Jennifer L. Gwilym, DO, and Executive Director Matt Harney participated in an interested party meeting this week to discuss HB 177, the APRN scope of practice expansion bill. Bill sponsor Tom Brinkman, a few members of the House Health Committee, nurse practitioner groups, lobbyists, and other physician groups attended.

The purpose of the meeting was to find any common ground. NP representatives sought terms allowing for a “transition to practice.” The current (8th) version of the bill has been circulated for nearly a year. While little progress was made during the IP meeting, it appears there will be another version in the coming weeks. Given California’s recent debate and eventual passage of a “transition to practice” bill for NPs, there appears to be renewed efforts from the NP groups.

Undoubtedly, this will be an issue in the lame duck session after the election. Stay tuned for legislative alerts!

Ohio is Trending in the Wrong Direction

Per this week’s Public Health Advisory System map, Ohio is trending in the wrong direction with 96% of Ohioans living in an orange or red county. Gov. Mike DeWine announced at his briefing yesterday there are now 18 red counties—the highest number since the week of July 23. There are 58 orange counties this week—the highest ever. The spread is in urban and rural areas and traces primarily to weddings, funerals, and other types of gatherings.

Noting his concern with colder weather ahead and people spending more time indoors, DeWine repeated his plea for people to wear masks and social distance.

The travel advisory map shows seven states with high COVID-19 positivity testing rates this week: South Dakota: 23.4%; Idaho: 23.2%; Wisconsin: 20%; Iowa: 16.8%; Wyoming: 15.5%; Missouri: 15.3%; and Kansas: 15%. People coming from these states are recommended to self-quarantine for 14 days

Ohio’s average positivity rate is on the rise, at 3.3% as of yesterday.

CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, Phase 3

On October 1, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Phase 3 of the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund General Distribution, which makes another $20 billion available to physicians and an expanded group of eligible providers.

Applications will be considered regardless of whether an organization was previously eligible for, applied for, received, accepted, or rejected prior PRF payments. For this newest phase, funding will be allocated to providers based on assessed financial losses and changes in operating expenses caused by COVID-19. 

Applications for the Phase 3 General Distribution are now being accepted through November 6. Providers are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to expedite the calculation and distribution of payments.

Register here for an informational webcast that CMS is holding on October 15.

Let’s Put the Social in Social Distance

Social media is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends—especially now. But Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and YouTube are also important for your osteopathic family.

These platforms are a way to connect and stay informed about the OOA and the profession in general. For example, did you know the profession has been fighting back after news and print media have been mischaracterizing DOs? You can amplify these efforts to call out misrepresentation and demand accurate descriptions of DOs by simply sharing or retweeting.

In general, OOA posts about legislation, advocacy, and public health. It’s a two-way street, though, so we invite you to tag us with your news.

Let’s be social on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.