Gross Drops Patient Protection Act

COLUMBUS – State Representative Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) today announced new legislation that aims to better protect patients by offering medical chaperones and strengthening reporting requirements for healthcare professionals.

Gross noted that the bill is partially in response to the Ohio Medical Board’s recent reopening of 91 sexual assault cases involving doctors after an investigation of a former team doctor at Ohio State. The doctor was implicated in at least 177 sex-abuse cases. In response to the abuse scandal, the medical board re-examined 1,254 sexual impropriety cases going back 25 years. 

The bill, known as the Patient Protection Act, requires certain health care professionals to offer patients or a patient’s representative a medical chaperone before conducting an intimate examination. The legislation also requires health care professionals to report misconduct to the State Medical Board.

“This bill is about protecting patients,” said Gross. “Ohioans deserve to feel safe during medical examinations, and having the option of a medical chaperone adds another layer of protection.”

So far, six states have enacted similar legislation, including Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey and Tennessee.

The bill now awaits referral to a House committee.