From Washington

• The AMA has released a second toolkit to assist physicians with the payment process for certain out-of-network care under the No Surprises Act (NSA).
• The subvariant of the Omicron strain—BA.2—now accounts for 72.2% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• The Biden administration announces plans to ramp up research on long COVID. 

From Columbus

• HB 138 on EMS protocols was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine. It requires the medical director or cooperating physician advisory board of each EMS organization to establish protocols for EMS personnel to follow when providing services.
• Biomarker Testing bill HB 608 has been introduced. Biomarker testing helps match patients with targeted therapies, which can lead to improved survivorship and quality of life for cancer patients. Read our coalition support letter here.
• HB 135Co-Pay Accumulators legislation has passed the House and heads to the Senate. The bill is designed to enable Ohioans to better afford potentially life-saving medications.

• April 18 - 19, 2022: Midwest Healthcare Innovation Summit + Cybersecurity Forum. AMCNO members receive complimentary registration.
• April 29 - 30, 2022: Medical Legal Summit. This annual event is co-hosted by the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio (AMCNO), Academy of Medicine Education Foundation (AMEF), and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA). It will be held virtually and in person at the CMBA Conference Center. Register now!

• 2024 will mark the AMCNO’s bicentennial. Our Board of Directors recently decided to form an official Bicentennial Committee to help oversee our work as we move toward this milestone. Interested in serving on the committee? Please email us.