State Advocacy in Action: Confronting Scope Battles and Evolving Licensing Models-State Advocacy in Action: Confronting Scope Battles and Evolving Licensing Models

State Advocacy in Action: Confronting Scope Battles and Evolving Licensing Models

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The State Advocacy in Action session, part of DO Day, focused on addressing scope battles and licensure pathways affecting osteopathic medicine and patient care. Key objectives included understanding state-level legislative trends, the impact of licensure models on physician practice, and advocacy strategies. The session was led by Brie Schmidt, AOA Associate Director of State Government Affairs, and Dr. Shannon Scott-Dito from the AOA Board of Trustees. They discussed state advocacy strategies involving scope of practice, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence in healthcare. A new focus was on AI legislation, with an emphasis on maintaining healthcare standards and transparency. Additionally, trends such as board mergers were noted, with states like Maine and Arizona considering legislation to combine osteopathic and allopathic medical boards. The AOA tracks state legislation and provides tools for advocacy, such as grassroots alerts and legislative letters. Dr. Scott elaborated on additional licensing pathways for internationally trained physicians, highlighting the importance of maintaining U.S. medical standards. The session stressed a united effort to address these issues through collaboration with state affiliates and national organizations.

Keywords

osteopathic medicine

scope battles

licensure pathways

state advocacy

telemedicine

artificial intelligence

healthcare standards

board mergers

internationally trained physicians