Exciting Changes at OOTA &

Welcome our New Staff!

We're thrilled to announce some exciting changes at the OOTA! We've recently welcomed a brand new staff team supported by AOTA, that is dedicated to supporting your needs and advancing the field of occupational therapy in Ohio. 

OOTA is now part of a collaborative effort with three other states – Nevada, Tennessee, and Missouri – under the AOTA-ASAP Pilot Collaborative. As shared at the 2023 OOTA Annual Business Meeting, this initiative involves utilization of an Association Management Company (AMC) among the four states, which is made possible by cost-sharing between the state associations involved.

The goals of the Collaborative include:

• Delivering a more robust and consistent value proposition to our members

• Growing both State Association and AOTA membership

• Increasing the depth of the volunteer pool and improving the volunteer leadership experience

• More effectively advancing our collective mission to assure the quality of occupational therapy services, improve consumer access to health care services, and promote the professional development of members in our respective states

Day-to-day changes for OOTA will include staff assistance and collaboration across multiple areas of daily operations for OOTA, including membership, accounting, communication, and event planning (including on demand webinars, live CE events, and Annual Conference). Visit HERE for the 2023 Annual Business Meeting Presentation to see details about the Collaborative and what it means for OOTA (slides 24-26).

Our staff comes to us with a wealth of experience supporting nonprofit membership organizations. As OOTA is now part of this initiative supported by AOTA, we have 8 new team members helping volunteers achieve their personal goals in reaching our organizational mission! All OOTA members are encouraged to get involved in activities ongoing, or ones you would like to pursue. This is a great time to explore how OOTA can help you!!

You may have noticed that our HQ address has changed to Virginia – this is correct, as our new staff is based there. In addition to our address change, we have a new OOTA email address that contacts staff directly. Please use this new email address for all inquiries: [email protected].

Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns.

In the coming months, we will be highlighting an article introducing all our new staff members, including their contact information and a little "get to know them" section.

We are excited about this new partnership and all the benefits that it will bring to OOTA and its members! Stay tuned for more information!

Address: 5605 Maple Brook Court, Midlothian VA

Phone (call or text): 804.639.9213

Fax: 804.639.9212

Updates from the Spring 2024 AOTA Representative Assembly Meeting

The RA spring meeting was held on April 18, 2024. During the meeting, votes were taken on 11 motions. Voting resulted in 8 motions passing and 3 failing (motions 5, 10, and 11). The failed motions were primarily rejected by the majority because they were viewed as redundant to other policies. In addition, the request for action to explore the entry-level degree failed. The RA, based on practitioner feedback, did not feel it was appropriate to revisit this issue at this time. More information on each of these issues can be accessed by AOTA members using the following link Representative Assembly 2024 Spring Meeting | AOTA.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our 2024 Statehouse Day and played a role in meeting and speaking with legislators at the statehouse to advocate for occupational therapy clients and practitioners! 

 Legislative Updates

Ohio Medicaid Rates increased effective January 1, 2024

Please check HERE for a file of current CPT codes and the Medicaid reimbursement rate effective January 1, 2024, as well as the comparison from last year. 

Some sources are hyperlinked in the column headings. Additional information can be found at the Medicaid website: https://medicaid.ohio.gov/about-us/budget.

A few notes to remember:

• The current column are rates that took effect on 1/1/24; previous column were rates in existence prior to that date
• Instances where the previous column has ‘NC’ mean that the service was previously a non-covered service
• Codes that are bundled or not covered by Medicaid are not included on this list.

If you have questions about the rate increase process or the resources included/linked here, please send an email to Danny Hurley.

Click HERE for a copy of our Legislative Priorities for 2023-2024 and the 135th General Assembly.

OOTA Members can access Legislative Updates from every OOTA Board Meeting HERE.