Recent News

New Website Coming at the End of June

June 5, 2023    35    35   

The Medical Board is excited to announce it will be launching a new website at the end of June! The new website will include all key existing resources as well as helpful new features. The URL will remain the same, med.ohio.gov. 

We anticipate a seamless transition to a more engaging site for our users. Additional information and navigation instructions will be provided as the launch date approaches.

Email Scam

June 5, 2023    35    35   

Licensees should be aware that an email scam is circulating, indicating a "final awareness for information verification." The scam (pictured) indicates that their license will be suspended if the information is not verified. The Medical Board did not send this email. As a reminder, all emails from an SMBO sender should end in @med.ohio.gov.

If you are contacted by a scammer, please report the incident to your local law enforcement and Ohio's Attorney General by filing a complaint online at ohioprotects.org or by calling 800-282-0515.

New Board Members Appointed

May 23, 2023    743    743   

Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced the following appointments to the State Medical Board of Ohio:

• Dr. John F. Boyle, of Chillicothe (Ross County), has been appointed to the State Medical Board for a term, beginning April 27, 2023, and ending December 27, 2027.

• Dr. Elaine M. Lewis, of Groveport (Franklin County), has been appointed to the State Medical Board for a term, beginning May 11, 2023, and ending March 18, 2028.

• Jennifer D. Brumby, of Dayton (Montgomery County), has been appointed to the State Medical Board for a term, beginning August 1, 2023, and ending July 31, 2028. 

The following board members received reappointments:

• Dr. Sherry L. Johnson, of Cincinnati (Hamilton County), has been reappointed to the State Medical Board for a term, beginning April 27, 2023, and ending April 25, 2028.

• Dr. Amol Soin, of Dayton (Montgomery County), has been reappointed to the State Medical Board for a term, beginning April 27, 2023, and ending March 18, 2028.

eLicense Will Be Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance

May 12, 2023    762    762   

Please be aware, due to scheduled maintenance, the eLicense Ohio application and renewal application will be unavailable beginning Friday, May 12 at 3 p.m. EST until Monday, May 15 at 6 a.m. EST.

Licensees with upcoming renewal deadlines should plan accordingly. 

May Board Meeting

May 8, 2023    889    889   

The State Medical Board of Ohio has public meetings scheduled this week. 

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

The Massage Therapy Advisory Council is meeting in-person at 2 p.m. Click here to view the agenda.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

The Board meeting will be shared on the board's YouTube channel, as technology permits. Click here to view the agenda and livestream link. Please note that the Medical Marijuana Committee meeting will not be livestreamed and will be held in Conference Room No. 336; additionally, participants can register and view the event virtually via https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6953493384401528413.

8 a.m. Medical Marijuana Committee

10 a.m. Board Meeting

Exceptions to Ohio’s Mandatory Electronic Prescribing Requirements

May 4, 2023    821    821   

In light of recent drug shortages, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has provided some important reminders on federal and state laws related to controlled substances. Please see the information below about the prescriber’s ability to issue verbal orders in emergency situations. The Board of Pharmacy has provided the same information to pharmacists for their awareness. 

Emergency Dispensing of Schedule II Controlled Substances Upon Verbal Order

In the case of an emergency situation, federal regulations permit a pharmacist to dispense a controlled substance listed in Schedule II upon receiving verbal authorization from a prescribing individual practitioner, provided that:

1) The quantity prescribed and dispensed is limited to the amount adequate to treat the patient during the emergency period (dispensing beyond the emergency period must be pursuant to a paper or electronic prescription signed by the prescribing individual practitioner);

(2) The prescription shall be immediately reduced to writing by the pharmacist and shall contain all information required in § 1306.05, except for the signature of the prescribing individual practitioner;

3)  If the prescribing individual practitioner is not known to the pharmacist, the pharmacist must make a reasonable effort to determine that the verbal authorization came from a registered individual practitioner, which may include a callback to the prescribing individual practitioner using the practitioner’s phone number as listed in the telephone directory and/or other good faith efforts to insure the practitioner’s identity; and

(4) Within 7 days after authorizing an emergency oral prescription, the prescribing individual practitioner shall cause a written prescription for the emergency quantity prescribed to be delivered to the dispensing pharmacist. In addition to conforming to the requirements of § 1306.05, the prescription shall have written on its face “Authorization for Emergency Dispensing,” and the date of the oral order. The paper prescription may be delivered to the pharmacist in person or by mail, but if delivered by mail it must be postmarked within the 7-day period. Upon receipt, the dispensing pharmacist must attach this paper prescription to the oral emergency prescription that had earlier been reduced to writing. For electronic prescriptions, the pharmacist must annotate the record of the electronic prescription with the original authorization and date of the oral order. The pharmacist must notify the nearest office of the Administration if the prescribing individual practitioner fails to deliver a written prescription to the pharmacist; failure of the pharmacist to do so shall void the authority conferred by this paragraph to dispense without a written prescription of a prescribing individual practitioner.

5) Central fill pharmacies shall not be authorized under this paragraph to prepare prescriptions for a controlled substance listed in Schedule II upon receiving an oral authorization from a retail pharmacist or an individual practitioner.

For the purposes of authorizing an oral prescription of a controlled substance listed in Schedule II of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, the term emergency situation means those situations in which the prescribing practitioner determines:

(1) That immediate administration of the controlled substance is necessary, for proper treatment of the intended ultimate user; and

(2) That no appropriate alternative treatment is available, including administration of a drug which is not a controlled substance under Schedule II of the Act, and

(3) That it is not reasonably possible for the prescribing practitioner to provide a written prescription to be presented to the person dispensing the substance, prior to the dispensing.

State law (3719.05) also permits a Schedule II controlled substance to be dispensed upon a verbal prescription in emergency situations as provided in the federal drug abuse control laws (i.e., the process outlined above).

Board Member Dr. Bechtel named to Journal of Medical Regulation's Editor-in-Chief

April 26, 2023    822    822   

Medical Board Member Mark A. Bechtel, M.D., was recently named as The Journal of Medical Regulation’s new Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Bechtel will begin his new role on May 1.

As a current member of the State Medical Board of Ohio, Dr. Bechtel once served as president, secretary, and supervising member. A practicing dermatologist, Dr. Bechtel also educates medical students as professor and Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Prior to his role at Ohio State, Dr. Bechtel was a professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania.

April Board Meeting

April 10, 2023    943    943   

The State Medical Board of Ohio has public meetings scheduled this week. 

Monday, April 10, 2023

The Dietetics Care Advisory Council is meeting in-person at 2 p.m. Click here to view the agenda.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

The Board meeting will be shared on the board's YouTube channel, as technology permits. Click here to view the agenda and livestream link. Please note that the committee meetings will not be livestreamed and will be held in Conference Room No. 336.

8 a.m. Licensure Committee

8:30 a.m. Compliance Committee

9:30 a.m. Quality Assurance Committee

10 a.m. Board Meeting

ONIC Warns Xylazine and Dangerous New Synthetic Opioids Found in Ohio

March 30, 2023    943    943   

The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) released a public safety bulletin advising Ohioans of dangerous substances the veterinary sedative xylazine and/or new synthetic opioids (NSOs).

The bulletin coincides with the emergency of xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance by Governor DeWine and the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy.

The emergency order was prompted by intelligence gathered as part of an early detection process developed by ONIC in partnership with RecoveryOhio, the Board of Pharmacy, and local drug toxicologists and chemists. The early detection process, which includes the proactive collection of reports from Ohio’s criminal justice system and forensic labs, allows ONIC to identify, analyze, and triage information on emerging drugs of abuse that are not controlled substances. In 2022, ONIC intelligence led Governor DeWine and the Board of Pharmacy to add nine emerging dangerous substances to Ohio’s controlled drug schedule. Xylazine is the first dangerous substance added to Ohio's controlled drug schedule in 2023.

Although naloxone should be administered anytime an overdose is suspected, naloxone is not effective against a xylazine overdose and may be less effective in reversing an overdose caused by opioids combined with xylazine.  Additionally, multiple doses of naloxone may be needed to reverse an overdose involving NSOs like a nitazene.

It is impossible to determine if any pill, powder, or liquid contains these dangerous substances by looking at them. Only lab testing can determine the presence of xylazine or NSOs.

Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order in July 2019 creating ONIC, a specialized criminal intelligence unit to assist local law enforcement in conducting intelligence-driven drug trafficking investigations. Operated as a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, ONIC has locations in Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and Cincinnati.

ONIC’s criminal intelligence analysts and computer forensic specialists provide investigative, analytical, and digital forensic support to local law enforcement agencies and drug task forces throughout Ohio.

For more information, visit the ONIC website.

SMBO Accepting Applications for Respiratory Care Advisory Council

March 29, 2023    1179    1179   

The Medical Board is seeking a licensed respiratory therapist applicant for an open seat on the Respiratory Care Advisory Council. The Respiratory Care Advisory Council advises the board on issues related to the practice of respiratory care.

The time commitment is four (4) meetings per year in Columbus. Council members are reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses such as mileage and parking.