Advocacy Update - House of Medicine

The CMA participates in an Ohio public policy umbrella organization, the House of Medicine. This group is convened by the OSMA and includes all specialty societies as well as a few local medical associations. Last week's meeting contained items of particular potential impact to portions of the physician community:

  • Medicare Payments Update: Medicare payments for services April 1 and later are being held until Congress fixes the 2% sequester reduction in physician and hospital fees that went into effect on April 1. The Senate passed legislation (by a vote of 90-2) on March 25th to fix the issue and the House is expected to take up the bill immediately upon its return on April 12.

  • State Medical Board Guidelines on Medical Task Delegation Last month the SMBO approved an FAQ document to help inform physicians about the boundaries around medical tasks that can be delegated to office staff. Physicians are encouraged to review this document to be current on the latest thinking of the SMBO. Click here for more.

  • Pharmacy Board Compounding Guidelines A new FAQ document has been issued from the Pharmacy Board to give guidance on common compounding issues that physician offices might face. Click here for more.

  • Prescribing Controlled Substances and ICD Codes OARRS data shows that approximately 80% of current controlled substance prescriptions include an ICD code. 2021 is going to be a year of emphasis to lower the 20% prescriptions that do not have a code. Prescribers should expect increased communications about compliance, and subsequently, potential enforcement actions.

Malcolm Porter