January 7,
2020 1367 1367 
The Medical Board received 28 petitions for potential new qualifying conditions during the 2019 petition window. Medical Board’s Medical Marijuana Committee is anticipated to meet February 12. At that meeting, the committee will decide which petitions will be considered. A final vote on new qualifying conditions is expected this summer.
Condition names as listed by the petitioners:
1. Anxiety
2. Anxiety
3. Anxiety, Depression
4. Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder
5. Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Arthritis
6. Asperger’s Disorder
7. Autism Spectrum Disorder
8. Autism Spectrum Disorder
9. Autism Spectrum Disorder
10. Bengals/Browns Fans
11. Cachexia/Wasting Syndrome
12. Chronic Back Chronic Hip
13. Depression
14. Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Hyperglycemia, Concussions
15. Epstein-Barr
16. Gastroesophageal reflux disease
17. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
18. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
19. HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's
20. Insomnia
21. Lupus
22. Opioid Use Disorder
23. Opioid Use Disorder
24. Panic Attack and Anxiety
25. PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
26. Severe Social Anxiety
27. Stage 4 Breast Lung Lymph Nodes Cancer
28. Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Pain
During the submission period (November 1, 2019- December 31, 2019), petitions were filed electronically through the state’s website, medicalmarijuana.ohio.gov. A petition needed to include (per Ohio Administrative Code 4731-32-05):
• The name and contact information
• Specific disease or condition requested to be added
• Information from experts who specialize in the study of the disease or condition
• Relevant medical or scientific evidence
• Consideration of whether conventional medical therapies are insufficient to treat or alleviate the disease or condition
• Evidence supporting the use of medical marijuana to treat or alleviate the disease or condition and other types of medical or scientific documentation
• Letters of support provided by physicians
Petitions which do meet the requirements will proceed and be reviewed by subject matter experts. These experts may include physicians who specialize in the named conditions, experts who have experience with medical marijuana programs in other states, etc. Petitions for the same condition will be combined for the reviews. Any petition for a condition that has been previously reviewed by the board and rejected will not be considered by the board unless new scientific research that supports the request is offered.
In the following months, the committee reviews the subject matter experts’ reports, and then makes a recommendation to the full board for a vote to adopt/deny the petition to add the qualifying conditions. That full board vote will occur in Summer 2020.
The Medical Board’s rules (Ohio Administrative Code) for the qualifying conditions can be found here: http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/4731-32-05.
The next condition petition window will be Nov. 1 – Dec. 31, 2020.
December 6,
2019 2050 2050
The December 2019 issue of the Medical Board's eNews is available. Highlights:
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confidential complaint hotline
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Loucka named director of the Medical Board
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new rules effective 11/30/19
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petition to add qualifying condition
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board seeks subject matter experts
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Health News Ohio magazine
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holiday office closure
Click here to read the issue.
November 18,
2019 2155 2155
Nov. 18, 2019 – (COLUMBUS, Ohio) The State Medical Board of Ohio today launched its confidential complaint hotline.
Anyone may call 1-833-333-SMBO (7626) to file a complaint against health care professionals who hold a license from the Medical Board. Ohio law makes all complaints and investigations of the board confidential. Callers do not need to leave identifying information, although additional detail can help support a more thorough investigation.
Please visit med.ohio.gov/Regulation/File-a-Complaint for detailed information on filing a complaint, a list of license types regulated by the Medical Board and who to contact if our board does not have authority to take action.
November 15,
2019 2001 2001
The November 2019 issue of the Medical Board's eNews is available. Highlights:
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Cultural Comptency video released
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CME guidance
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new rules effective 11/5/19
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HHS releases new guidance on opioid tapering
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medical board seeks victim coordinators and subject matter experts
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medical marijuana control update
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petition to add qualifying condition window open
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Health News Ohio magazine late-summer issue
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cosmetic therapy exam registration deadline
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office closure
Click here to read the issue.
November 13,
2019 2435 2435
The State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) announced today that it has unanimously approved Stephanie M. Loucka as its Executive Director, effective November 14, 2019. Ms. Loucka previously served as the director at the Ohio Department of Aging. Prior to that she held senior leadership positions at both the Ohio Department of Administrative Services and the Ohio Department of Aging. Most recently, Ms. Loucka served as the human resources director at Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools. She received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Otterbein College and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
November 7,
2019 1828 1828
The Medical Board is seeking public comment on the proposed actions for the following rules. Click the link to view the rule and the Business Impact Analysis filed with the Common Sense Initiative: Respiratory Care Rules
Comments on the proposed rules must be received no later than November 22, 2019. Please provide comments to both of the following:
November 5,
2019 2006 2006
As Ohio continues to grow in diversity, the State Medical Board of Ohio recognizes the positive impact well-prepared health care professionals can have on their patients. To support best practices, the Medical Board has created a cultural competency educational video. The video provides guidance on how to interact with patients from different ethnicities, genders, disability status and cultures and features our board president, subject matter experts and other health care professionals who encounter unique challenges in the field.
To view in fullscreen, after pressing play, click on the YouTube logo below the video.
Please explore these resources as we seek to increase the incorporation of culturally competent practices by practitioners, ensuring Ohioans continue to have access to outstanding health care across the state.
October 23,
2019 2286 2286
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 20 - 26. It is a call to bring together individuals, organizations, industry, and government to raise awareness of lead poisoning prevention and reduce childhood exposure to lead. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Elevated lead levels in children can potentially have long-term health consequences. Ohio law requires physicians to screen children younger than 6 years old at risk of lead poisoning, and Medicaid regulations require screening children at ages 1 and 2. Watch this video collaboration with Ohio Department of Health for more information about lead exposure risk factors, recommendations for screening and medical management of lead poisoning.
October 10,
2019 2828 2828
Ohio’s biennium budget (House Bill 166) contains many policy changes in addition to financial appropriations. A number of those statutory changes will impact State Medical Board of Ohio licensees.
The following is a summary of changes in Ohio law that will become effective October 17, 2019. Licensees are encouraged to read the complete law in the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). Information on laws and rules for licensees is also available in the LAWS & RULES section.
All license types
• Eliminates a requirement under which an affirmative vote of at least six members of the board is necessary to grant a license to an applicant. This change will allow the Medical Board to issue licenses faster, instead of waiting for monthly board meetings.
• Licenses will expire two years after the original date of issuance. For existing license holders, the renewal deadline will continue to be on the same date as it is currently; for new license holders this means renewal will occur on the two-year anniversary of initial issuance and every two years thereafter.
• The board can now impose terms and conditions to ensure an applicant’s fitness to practice, as follows: (1) when seeking issuance of a license without having been engaged in practice or participating in a training or educational program for more than two years, and (2) when seeking restoration of a license that has been inactive for more than two years.
• Clarifies an eligibility requirement that applies to a person seeking licensure to practice a limited branch of medicine based on holding a license in another state, by specifying that the applicant must have held a license to practice massage therapy or cosmetic therapy during the five-year period preceding the date of application.
• Authorizes the board to impose a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 if the license holder fails to complete the continuing education required to maintain a license.
• Ohio MDs, DOs, and DPMs will need to complete a total of 50 hours Category 1 CME every two years to be eligible for license renewal. Previously, physicians were required to complete a total of 100 hours, of which 40 needed to be Category 1.
• The amount of continuing education hours a physician may earn providing health care services as a volunteer will be reduced to three hours.
• Expedited licensure: Clarifies an eligibility requirement that applies to a physician seeking an expedited license by endorsement by specifying that the applicant must not have been the subject of more than two malpractice claims resulting in a finding of liability in the ten years preceding the date of application.
• Training certificates: Allows a holder of a physician training certificate to apply for late renewal not more than 30 days after the certificate’s expiration date if the individual pays a $150 reinstatement fee.
• Clinical fellowship programs: Specifies that an accredited clinical fellowship program constitutes (1) graduate medical education recognized by the board and (2) a program that an individual may participate in by obtaining a training certificate.
• Clinical research faculty: Specifies that holders of clinical research faculty certificates will need to complete 75 hours Category 1 CME every three years to renew their certificates.
• Telemedicine certificates: Specifies telemedicine certificates will be converted to standard MD or DO licenses. Ohio’s law regarding telemedicine certificates will be repealed, eliminating the need for a separate certificate. All active telemedicine certificate holders, upon conversion to holders of a full MD or DO license, will be required to meet Ohio’s continuing education requirements in order to renew their license (50 hours of Category 1 CME every two years). Physicians wishing to provide health care via telemedicine to individuals located in Ohio may do so under their full Ohio license.
• The physician assistant continuing education (CE) requirements for Ohio will mirror the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) requirements. Previously, a physician assistant needed to complete a minimum of 100 hours of continuing education every two years, which did not align with the NCCPA certification cycle. Physician assistants who hold prescriptive authority will continue to be required to complete at least twelve hours of continuing education in pharmacology.
• Changes in the law will now require both the supervising physician and the physician assistant to retain a copy of their supervision agreement in their records. The law also permits the board to assess a civil penalty upon a finding that a supervision agreement has not been retained as required.
• PA initial application fee reduced from $500 to $400.
• Limits a physician assistant’s existing authority to personally furnish samples of drugs and therapeutic devices to the drugs and devices included in the physician assistant’s physician-delegated prescriptive authority.
• Requires that medical care provided by an out-of-state physician assistant at a charitable event in Ohio be supervised by the event’s medical director or another physician authorized to practice in Ohio.