Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Doctors’ association urges caution on pharmacist 'test-and-treat' bill while free‑market group backs access expansion
Loading...
Summary
The Ohio State Medical Association warned the committee that Senate Bill 230 could create diagnostic pitfalls and strain primary‑care capacity if pharmacists gain prescriptive authority; a Buckeye Institute witness argued the bill would expand care access in rural and low‑income communities.
The committee heard competing testimony on Senate Bill 230, which would allow pharmacists to administer certain diagnostic tests for respiratory illnesses and dispense medications based on results.
Monica Hickle of the Ohio State Medical Association raised concerns about diagnostic complexity and the adequacy of relying on test results alone, stating that "test results alone do not suffice for developing a conclusive diagnosis or ruling out complications" and arguing that the proposal could become a "Band‑Aid solution" that does not address underlying access problems like pharmacy deserts and dispensing delays.
By contrast, Reyes Hunterman Jr. of the Buckeye Institute said the bill would improve access by leveraging widely accessible pharmacists and pharmacies and noted that several neighboring states and 13 other states have adopted similar approaches. He said SB230 would permit pharmacists to test for respiratory illnesses and dispense medications according to protocols established by the State Board of Pharmacy.
Committee members asked whether evidence from other states and pandemic vaccination roles for pharmacists supported or undermined the bill; witnesses disagreed on whether expanding pharmacist authority would meaningfully improve population health metrics or unintentionally disrupt primary‑care access.
No final action was recorded during this hearing; witnesses provided written testimony for the record.
