OSTEOFACTS | Telemedicine Survey; Hospitals Sound Alarm

September 24, 2021

	Take the Telemedicine Survey The State Medical Board of Ohio extended the enforcement moratorium of its telemedicine laws and rules that require in-person patient visits. The new date is December 31, 2021. At this time SMBO is beginning public dialogue to gather commentary on the Board’s rules. To help with the process, there is a list of questions about your experience and thoughts regarding telemedicine. It’s a long list, so feel free to answer as many (or few) questions as you want. Also, the survey is configured so that you don’t need to complete it in one sitting. It won’t save your answers though when you return to it. Ultimately all responses will be submitted to SMBO, which will likely have substantive discussion on telemedicine rules at the October meeting. Executive Director Matt Harney participated in an interested party meeting yesterday with other executive directors from provider associations to help begin sketching the contours of the new rules. Please help with this effort. Thank you to those who have already taken the survey. The survey closes September 30.
	Hospitals Sound Alarm as COVID Cases Climb Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, held press briefings on Tuesday and Thursday this week where they, along with frontline physicians and nurses, continued to urge Ohioans to get vaccinated. DeWine cited a letter from the Ohio Hospital Association outlining dire conditions and the strain on hospital resources with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The data shows: In mid-July, Ohio hospitals were treating 200 COVID-19 patients, today that number is 3,702—a 16-fold increase in two months. In mid-July, one out of 100 patients in the hospital were being treated for COVID. Today the ratio is one out of six. Today, 40% of patients on ventilators are being treated for COVID. In rural Southeast Ohio half of hospitalized patients are being treated for COVID-19 and two-thirds of the patients in the intensive care unit are being treated for COVID. The letter also described a situation where strained resources impact the ability to care for all patients. Some Ohio hospitals are diverting patients away from emergency departments, cancelling certain procedures, experiencing long wait times in emergency departments, and shutting down certain units to redeploy staff to critical cases. DeWine also announced Vax-2-School, a new incentive program to encourage eligible kids to get vaccinated. Prizes will include 50 scholarships worth $10,000 each and five $100,000 scholarships to an Ohio college or university for career or technical education. As of this afternoon, 62.70% of eligible Ohioans (age 12 and up) have started the vaccine process.
	Gross Removed from Health Committee State Rep. Jennifer Gross, sponsor of HB 248, was removed from the Ohio House Health Committee this week by Speaker of the House Bob Cupp. Gross was taking steps to have her vaccine-restrictive bill bypass the Committee process and go directly to the floor for a vote. She needs 50 of her House colleagues to sign the discharge petition. HB 248 would block public agencies, schools and others from requiring vaccinations for any infectious disease. There are several bills in the House regarding vaccine mandates, including one that applies only to the COVID-19 vaccine. The OOA is actively gauging the momentum of these various measures.
	MCO Provider Contracting Earlier this year, the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) announced the selection of seven managed care organizations (MCOs) to serve more than 3 million members and thousands of medical providers. The seven MCOs selected for the next generation managed care program are: AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Inc. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Buckeye Community Health Plan CareSource Ohio, Inc. Humana Health Plan of Ohio, Inc. Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Inc. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio, Inc. Providers who are interested in contracting with Ohio Medicaid's next generation MCOs are encouraged to contact the MCOs. Contact information can be found here.
	Next Simply CME Set The next Simply CME event is scheduled for Saturday, November 13. The program offers 8 AOA Category 1-A credits and the convenience of attending from your home or office. Topics include: TelePsychiatry Sports Medicine Tobacco Use/Vaping Geriatrics Pharmacology Behavioral Health Genetics/Genetic Testing New Technology in Diabetes Treatment David Drozek, DO, of Athens, will present on the optimal diet. Simply CME is a series of one-day virtual conferences sponsored by the OOA and five other state osteopathic associations across the country. Lectures are pre-recorded with the speakers live on the day of the event for a Q&A. OOA members enjoy a discounted rate of $215.
	New Provider Relief Funding Available The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced $25.5 billion in new funding for health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding includes $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan resources for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Medicare patients, and an additional $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 for a broad range of providers who can document revenue loss and expenses associated with the pandemic. Applications will open on September 29. To streamline the application process and minimize administrative burdens, providers will apply for both programs in a single application and HRSA will use existing Medicaid/CHIP and Medicare claims data in calculating portions of these payments. For more information see the summary here.