The Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board voted on January 20, 2022 to extend the temporary suspension of enforcement of certain provisions of Rule 4757-5-13 (Teletherapy) until July 20, 2022. The continuation of the suspension of enforcement will provide the Board an opportunity to file the revised Rule shared for public comment on 11/10/2021. During the temporary suspension of enforcement, the following provisions of current Rule 4757-5-13 are waived:

1. Requirement to hold an initial face to face meeting (in-person or via video).
2. Requirement to obtain written consent prior to treatment.
3. Use of a HIPAA-compliant platform that exceeds current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidance regarding remote communications during the federal COVID-19 nationwide Public Health Emergency.

The revised rule, which incorporates the significant feedback received, was approved by the Board for filing with the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) on, January 20^th and was formally filed on February 11. The Business Impact Analysis and draft rule changes can be found at cswmft.ohio.gov/about-the-board/news-and-events/news/planned_rule_changes_2022. Licensees and stakeholders may provide comments by email to [email protected]. When commenting, please copy CSI by email at [email protected] on any correspondence sent to the Board. Please note the comment period closes on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. 

The State Medical Board of Ohio is seeking public input on proposed rules on telehealth and controlled substances and telehealth prescribing. Comments received will be reviewed and possibly result in changes to the initially proposed language before the rules are then filed with the Common Sense Initiative Office.

At this time, public comment is being sought on the proposed language for the following rules. The rules and a memo explaining the proposed action is available HERE. The deadline for submitting comments: March 1, 2022. Comments should be sent to Nathan Smith at [email protected].