The director of mental health shall prepare, and may amend from time to time, specifications descriptive of the duties, responsibilities, requirements, and desirable qualifications of physician specialists in the department of mental health. The director shall prepare, and may amend from time to time, classifications for those physician specialists, and they shall receive a salary fixed pursuant to section 124.15 or 124.152 of the Revised Code.

The director may employ and classify physicians in the department as physician specialists, within the classifications and pay ranges fixed pursuant to section 124.15 or 124.152 of the Revised Code. Any physician employed in the department, whether previously classified pursuant to section 124.15 or 124.152 of the Revised Code or otherwise employed in the department, may be classified or reclassified as a physician specialist, pursuant to this section, upon order of the director; provided that, each such physician shall be qualified as required by this section and meet the specifications for the classification to which the physician is assigned. Any physician classified and designated a physician specialist under authority of this section may be assigned to a different physician specialist classification upon order of the director; the director shall certify each such reclassification, and the department of administrative services shall be governed by the certification; provided that, nothing in this section shall alter the powers and duties of the state personnel board of review under division (A)(1) of section 124.03 of the Revised Code.

Each physician classified and designated as a physician specialist in the department, under authority of this section, shall be a reputable physician and a graduate of an accredited medical college, who has had special training and experience in the treatment of mental illness or other condition found in patients in the department.

Effective Date: 04-09-1986; 07-01-2007.

Note: The amendment to this section by 129th General AssemblyFile No.10, SB 5, §1 was rejected by voters in the November, 2011 election.