In Ohio, the state medical board relaxed telehealth rules during the pandemic, and those changes later became permanent. In late 2021, the Ohio General Assembly approved House Bill 122, which allows doctors to practice and provide care via telehealth as long as the standard of care is met.
Evidently, leaders at the Department of Veterans of Affairs have been paying attention. Earlier this year, the VA offered triage consultations over the phone with registered nurses. And now?
VA proposes waiving co-pays for telehealth appointments
Credit: Lisa Powell
Credit: Lisa Powell
What happened: The VA wants to waive co-pays for all telehealth services and is proposing a new federal rule for doing so, the department said Monday (which, of course, was Veterans Day.)
Why it matters: This improves accessibility, particularly for veterans living in rural areas, Dayton VA Medical Center Director Jennifer DeFrancesco told me. It also helps VA staff to reach for greater efficiency.
The bottom line: “We want to make sure our veterans have the choice to get care in whatever way that they want to,” DeFrancesco said.
Miamisburg City Council rejects massive Winsupply plan
The city of Miamisburg is forcing a change in plans for Winsupply Inc., due in part to longstanding land use objectives.
What happened: Miamisburg City Council rejected a massive Winsupply proposal that would have built a 622,728-square-foot building at the northeast corner of Byers and Lyons roads, just west of Interstate 75.
A difficult decision: Council member Ryan Colvin said the issue had given him “considerable angst.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to confer with my fellow council members, read the memos from staff, the memo from the applicant, and then testimony tonight, and where I’m at is at my core, I’m a free market capitalist who believes that government should always (aid business), not be a hindrance to it,” he said.
Kettering Health to add $90M expansion at Wilmington health center
What happened: Kettering Health is planning a $90 million investment and expansion that will double the size of its health center in Wilmington and add services like emergency care, the hospital system announced.
Why it matters: Kettering Health Wilmington Health Center, at 1500 Rombach Ave., is expanding to become a medical center offering inpatient and outpatient services, the hospital system said.
Kettering Health anticipates the center will be fully open by late 2026, and it will double the current facility’s footprint to around 71,000 square feet.
Local energy aggregation group will get new electric power supplier
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
About 60,000 Dayton area residential and business customers of an electricity coalition will move to a new supplier familiar to the Dayton area.
Electric savings? Dynegy will take over for Energy Harbor as the supplier for nearly 20 jurisdictions that joined the Miami Valley Communications Council’s electric aggregation group last year, resulting in average savings of hundreds of dollars per customer.
Who is making the switch? Centerville, Fairborn, Kettering, Miamisburg, Oakwood, Trotwood and Troy are among the cities in the MVCC group.
Downtown businesses in trouble, fear they won’t survive
Reaching out to customers on social media is a tried-and-true marketing practice, and it has been for a while.
Asking for for help to keep a business open seems to be catching on, too.
‘Scarily close:’ Gus Stathes, one of the owners of the Barrel House, said things are bad, and the cost of goods and operations have exceeded the downtown store’s sales for more than six months.
“We have been scarily close to shutting our doors for a while now,” he told reporter Cory Frolik. “We had to completely replace our air conditioning unit at the beginning of the summer and it was almost the nail in our coffin.”
Other businesses have been trying the same approach recently.
Read about restaurants taking the same approach.
Community Gems: More than 50 people or organizations were named Dayton Daily News Community Gems this year: See who they are and what they are doing for their community. Read about them all HERE.
Contact me: Thank you for reading this twice-weekly newsletter, which belongs to you. Tell me about your business — or your job. You can reach me at tom.gnau@coxinc.com.
Quick hits:
From our publisher: Support our food relief campaign.
A ‘great early season battle:’ Takeaways from a Flyers’ comeback victory.
Love at first bite: How Frisch’s kept romance alive for one couple.
Jay’s open for lunch? Yes, but just for a limited time.
A haven for heroes: Groundbreaking held for Medal of Honor memorial
About the Author
