AMC/NOMA Recognizes Supporters After SB 88 Success
 “This vote is a triumph for the area’s doctors and proof that our unified voice through the AMC/NOMA was heard loud and clear in Columbus,” said VP of Legislative Affairs John Bastulli MD after the AMC/NOMA-backed mandatory arbitration legislation passed the Ohio Senate last week. “Our members asked for a solution, and we believe we’ve found them one in SB 88.” The bill would mandate a non-binding arbitration pilot program to target medical negligence claims in seven NE Ohio counties: Cuyahoga, Summit, Lake, Geauga, Lorain, Erie and Huron. The AMC/NOMA wishes to recognize Sen. Kevin Coughlin, who introduced, sponsored and steadfastly supported the bill as it moved from committee to the senate floor—and who has promised to see it through the House process yet to come. Coughlin called SB 88 the “silver lining” in the malpractice crisis that is far from over in the state. Or as Sen. Goodman termed it, “an intelligent, reasonable and novel approach” to address the issues NE Ohio physicians in particular face. The AMC/NOMA is grateful also to our lobbyist Michael Wise and others for their diligence in seeing the bill through the process. But especially deserving of our collective thanks are the many AMC/NOMA members who took time away from their practices, traveled to Columbus and offered the only supportive testimony by physicians or a physician organization in the entire state for this potentially groundbreaking pilot program. Although the state medical association forwarded no official comment on SB 88 for more than a year after its 2005 introduction, it has now declared neutrality on the bills’ outcome/implementation. We, however, believe passage of seminal legislation such as SB 88 will unequivocally demonstrate the impact a regional medical association such as the AMC/NOMA can have on behalf of its own. Thank you members!
For a complete historical review of the bill, including AMC/NOMA proponent testimony, full text, analysis and more, click here.