Telemedicine Enforcement to Begin December 31

At the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) meeting this week, the possibility of extending the date of resuming enforcement was discussed and the Board decided for the sake of patient safety to extend the date until December 31. In addition, in-person patient requirements will resume for specific situations on December 31.
 
Updated 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.
 
The Board also determined that it is appropriate to review existing telemedicine regulations, with stakeholder input, to see how rules may be modified to meet the needs of patients and ensure their health and safety. Details will be shared in OSTEOFACTS as they become available.

Ohio COVID Cases Continue to Rise

Ohio’s daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 3,000 this week, for the first time since February. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) also reports 194.2 cases per 100,000—compared to 125.1 last week. The Delta variant is the dominant strain. Data from July 4-17 (the most recent available) show 86.4% of lab sequenced cases were the Delta variant.
 
At a briefing yesterday, ODH official Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, urged Ohioans to get vaccinated. “Right now more than 99% of all COVID deaths in Ohio have been among those who aren’t fully vaccinated.” He said younger people are getting sick, compared to last fall when the most serious cases were in nursing homes.
 
Vanderhoff also noted the state currently has substantial hospital and ventilator capacity. He also said other states are starting to halt elective procedures.

As of this afternoon, 61.37% of Ohioans age 18 and up have started the vaccination process. Of all eligible Ohioans (age 12 and older), 58.99% have started the process.

Vanderhoff Named ODH Director

Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, will become Director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) effective August 16. Current Director Stephanie McCloud will return to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation as administrator. Both positions require confirmation by the Ohio Senate.
 
Vanderhoff, who has been ODH chief medical officer since November, was previously senior vice president at OhioHealth in Columbus. He has years of experience leading large teams in successfully dealing with important health issues and prepared OhioHealth to deal with the threat of Ebola and the H1N1 flu pandemic. He is well-known among the osteopathic profession for his support of medical education. He was actively involved when OhioHealth became the Preeminent Education Partner for the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Dublin campus. 

DO-CME is now The CME Center

The collaboration of state osteopathic societies that provides quality online education has rebranded. The CME Center, formerly DO-CME, offers hundreds of online lectures for AOA credit, including on-demand and live virtual events.
 
OOA members receive a discount on lectures produced by the OOA. Use the discount code OOAFamily for 35% off the list price!
 
Bookmark the new site at www.thecmecenter.org.

Welcome to the Class of 2025!

The Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2025 officially joined the family this week. Orientation started yesterday in Athens, Dublin, and Cleveland. The Convocation and White Coat Ceremony will be held next month, so there’s still time to make a donation to the White Coat Fund.

Send well wishes, a note of encouragement, or words of wisdom when you make your donation of $45 per coat. (Be sure to write your message in the comment box.)

OOA leadership will meet with students when the Board of Trustees hosts a reception at the Cleveland campus after its quarterly meeting later this month.

In other college news, Ohio University announced this week that Rick Vincent will receive an honorary degree at the Class of 2020 in-person Commencement Ceremony on September 5. He is the former President/CEO of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, the largest osteopathic supportive foundation in the United States.

Host an Osteopathic Medical Student

Many medical students scramble to find—and pay for—housing while doing rotations away from their home site. It’s a similar situation when it’s time for residency interviews as the costs for transportation, lodging, meals, and application fees add up.

The OOA is developing a list of physicians who can help these future colleagues by providing a free place to stay. 

This OOA-assisted housing service connects interested medical students with volunteer physician hosts. The program is not associated with any college of osteopathic medicine. Contact information is provided directly to the student who inquires about available accommodations in your geographic area.The arrangements and coordination is exclusively between the student and host physician.

Sign up on the OOA website.