Addiction
affects approximately 10% of the general population at any one time. Doctors
are affected by addiction at a comparable rate. Addiction affects all facets of
a person’s lifestyle – marriages are ruined, private lives crumble, and work
performance suffers. It is the work performance that troubles people the most
since an impaired physician may cause a whole lot of injury to others.
Physician health plans (PHPs) have been in place in many states to aid doctors
afflicted with substance abuse. They're able to give treatment and assistance
to help the physician maintain his/her career. They also can offer future
follow-up and monitoring of the physician. PHPs have a wonderfully high success
rate for doctors around 80-90% long lasting success. The reasons for this large
achievement rate involve highly motivated patients, rigid adherence, and
long-term follow-up and monitoring. However, the use rates for these PHPs is
quite minimal, most likely because of worry about these organizations reporting
back to state licensing boards, concern with disciplinary action, losing one’s
license, and career damage. Since PHPs do not generally report back to
licensing boards such fears are unfounded.
Physicians often ignore or do nothing if they suspect there is a colleague suffering from substance abuse for concern with damaging his/her career. Physicians can also be very cautious to turn to a PHP by themselves. Generally, colleagues, businesses, or couples are the people to start the treatment. Luckily, following the development of PHPs, significant serious preventable events due to impaired physicians has dropped greatly and many physicians are referred to PHPs for before a major event can occur. If a major event does occur, the AMA established precedence a long time ago stating: “it is the physician’s ethical responsibility to take cognizance of a colleague’s inability to practice medicine adequately by reason of physical or mental illness including alcoholism and drug dependence.”
Physicians often ignore or do nothing if they suspect there is a colleague suffering from substance abuse for concern with damaging his/her career. Physicians can also be very cautious to turn to a PHP by themselves. Generally, colleagues, businesses, or couples are the people to start the treatment. Luckily, following the development of PHPs, significant serious preventable events due to impaired physicians has dropped greatly and many physicians are referred to PHPs for before a major event can occur. If a major event does occur, the AMA established precedence a long time ago stating: “it is the physician’s ethical responsibility to take cognizance of a colleague’s inability to practice medicine adequately by reason of physical or mental illness including alcoholism and drug dependence.”
Please let us know what experiences you have had with repercussions of not reporting a
physician who is impaired due to alcohol or drugs.
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