Legislators in Ohio are considering two bills that would create new restrictions for noncompetes as rural healthcare systems in the state continue to face an uphill battle against staffing shortages, The Columbus Dispatch reported May 12.
The report delves into the case of Katherine Able-Perkins, DO, a primary care physician with OhioHealth Physician Group in Athens. Dr. Able-Perkins has been working in Athens for 20 years, according to the report, and is interested in switching employers while remaining in the same town, but is bound by a noncompete clause in her employment contract.
Her prospective employer, Marietta-based Memorial Health System has filed declaratory judgment in Athens County Common Pleas Court on behalf of Dr. Able-Perkins, according to the report. While no lawsuit has been filed by either party involved, a lawyer for OHioHealth reportedly asked the Athens County court to transfer any proceeding to Franklin County, where the system is based, and asked that any court proceedings include a partially redacted version of Dr. Able-Perkins’ contract.
Healthcare workers are disproportionately impacted by noncompete clauses, according to research by Johns Hopkins University. The American Medical Association estimates that up to 45% of healthcare workers have a noncompete clause in their contract, compared to roughly 20% of working Americans, per the Federal Trade Commission.
One of the current bills in Ohio was introduced in 2025 by now-retired physician and Senator Terry Johnson, MD, a Republican from McDermott. That bill would limit noncompete clauses by banning nonprofit hospitals from enforcing clauses more severe than banning employment with a competitor for six months within a 15-mile radius.
Senators Louis Blessing, a Republican from Colerain, and Bill DeMora, a Republican from Columbusm also introduced a more general noncompete ban in 2025.
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