(The Center Square) – The Ohio Medical Board can intervene more quickly if a medical professional is accused of being sexually abusive to patients.
Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed a new law that included recommendations from a 2019 working group created in 2019 to review the Medical Board’s handling of the six-year investigation into Ohio State University physician Richard Strauss.
“This bill represents a major step forward in our ongoing efforts as a state to better protect Ohio patients,” DeWine said. “It increases accountability for doctors, increases transparency for patients and the public, and gives our Medical Board the ability to intervene faster when misconduct is occurring. Ultimately, this bill will empower more people to take action when something is wrong.”
Strauss, who died in 2005, worked for Ohio State from 1978-1998, treating students and student-athletes. He was accused in 2018 of sexually abusing student-athletes during his time at the university, which led to a year-long investigation by the school.
That investigation found Strauss abused at least 177 male athletes, according to the university.
The new law requires, among other things, health care facilities and individual health care providers to report the start of a sexual misconduct investigation within 30 days. The board can also suspend a license if it receives verifiable information that an individual health care provider has been charged with a felony and the conduct is a disciplinary violation.
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Also, the board can require a doctor to notify patients in writing if they are on probation for sexual misconduct or patient harm, and the board can now provide a status update to a patient who reports a case of sexual misconduct.
“At the same time, however, we knew there was much more we could do by eliminating some of the legal barriers that have historically prevented us responding swiftly and decisively enough to misconduct cases in the past,” Medical Board Executive Director Stephanie Loucka said. “We worked with the General Assembly, medical professionals, and other partners across the state to help draft this bill and get it across the finish line. “