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Equity and Disparities in Ohio

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Ohio law institutes a number of requirements, the purposes of which are to reduce disparities in health care provision and ensure equity in access and quality for all Ohio residents.  The commission on minority health has been established to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention among minority groups.1  The commission will distribute grants to community-based groups for these purposes.2  The office of women’s health initiatives has been established to advocate for women’s health, monitor related research and program efforts and collect relevant data on women’s health needs.3  Health service agencies will be responsible for identifying gaps in area health care resources and for creating a community-based resource plan to correct these deficiencies and ensure accessibility and quality for all individuals in the community.4

With respect to specific providers, Ohio law mandates various requirements surrounding health care equity.  Hospice care programs must admit and provide care and services to patients without discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, creed, national origin, or handicap.5  Skilled nursing facilities must provide appropriate care and services without regard to considerations of race, color, religion, national origin, age, or source of payment.6  Medicaid providers must agree to render medically necessary services to enrollees without regard to race, creed, color, age, sex, national origin, source of payment, or handicap.7

To ensure that medical assistance recipients receive the maximum benefit from their health care providers, managed care providers must ensure that member information is available in the prevalent non-English languages of members of the program’s service area and in a manner that takes into consideration the special needs of members; additionally, oral interpretation and translation services, and sign language assistance, must be available to members at no cost.8  Managed care providers must also ensure that female members have access to a women’s health specialist within the network for necessary covered care.

 

Footnotes

  • 1. Ohio Admin. Code 3704-1-02
  • 2. Ohio Rev. Code § 3701.78
  • 3. Ohio Rev. Code § 3701.141
  • 4. Ohio Rev. Code § 3702.58
  • 5. Ohio Admin. Code 3701-19-20
  • 6. Ohio Rev. Code § 3721.13
  • 7. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:3-1-17.2
  • 8. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:3-26-08.3

 

Equity and Disparities in Ohio

Subtopic Statute/Regulation Description
Required documentation of race/ethnicity (Cross reference with Medical Records Collection) Annual report – Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 5119.60 The department of health must annually report the services the department offers and how appropriated funds have been spent.  The report will...
Notice to be given of prevalence of infectious diseases – Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3707.06 An attending health care provider must report to the health commissioner of relevant jurisdiction the name, age, sex, race and address of a patient...
Physician, hospital and department abortion reports – Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3701.79 An attending physician must complete a confidential abortion report for each abortion he performs.  The report may not contain the woman’s...
Record-keeping and reporting requirements – Ohio Admin. Code 3701-30-05 Healthcare providers requesting analysis of blood of a child under 16 years old to detect or determine levels of lead must complete the request for...
Reporting requirements – Ohio Admin. Code 3701-57-02 Each physician, hospital and freestanding birthing center must report to the birth defects information system information concerning all fetal death...
Responsibility for reporting – Ohio Admin. Code 3701-4-02 The Ohio cancer incidence surveillance system has been established and will be developed and administered by the department of health.  The...
Offices of Minority Health Commission on minority health – Ohio Admin. Code 3704-1-02 The purpose of the commission on minority health is to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention among minority groups by engaging in the...
Commission on minority health – Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3701.78 The commission on minority health is established, which must promote health and the prevention of disease among members of minority groups. ...
Language or cultural services required in health plans (Cross reference with Private Insurance Data) Managed care programs: care coordination – Ohio Admin. Code 5160-26-03.1 Provider agreements between the Ohio department of job and family services and a provider of Medicaid covered services will contain the following...
Primary language documentation Managed health care programs: member rights – Ohio Admin. Code 5160-26-08.3 Managed health care program members have the following rights: To be ensured of confidential handling of information concerning their diagnoses,...
Equity and Disparities Managed health care programs: program integrity – fraud and abuse, audits, reporting, and record retention – Ohio Admin. Code 5160-26-06 Managed health care programs (MCPs) must have administrative and managed arrangements or procedures, including a mandatory compliance plan, to guard...
Medical records – Ohio Admin. Code 3701-83-23.3 Each patient medical record maintained by a health care facility  (HCF) must include the following information: Patient information...
Offices of Women’s Health, to the extent that it engages in activities related to disparities reduction Office of women’s health initiatives – Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3701.141 The women’s health program has been established in the department of health, which will engage in the following activities: Identify,...
Click on the individual state law in the table above to see our summary of the individual law.


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