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This CPPPH newsletter aims to keep readers abreast of current developments and relevant information about physician health and wellbeing in California.
All past issues are available from the CPPPH website: www.CPPPH.org.
Definitions
Wellness activities address quality of life and professional satisfaction for all physicians.
Wellbeing activities focus on an individual physician and provide resources for identifying, evaluating, referring, treating, and monitoring for physicians when addiction, mental health, behavioral issues, and the effects of aging are a concern.
Confidential Assistance Over the Phone
The Physicans’ and Dentists’ Confidential Assistance Line is a 24-hour phone service providing completely confidential doctor-to-doctor assistance for physicians experiencing substance use or mental health issues. Call:
Send Us Your Comments
We want to hear from you. Send comments to gjara@cppph.org.
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Medical Board Changes the Question on the Licensing Application
Passage of AB 2164 adds Sec. 2090 to California’s Business and Professions Code to prohibit the Medical Board of California (MBC) from requiring an applicant for a license, or for renewal of a license, to disclose a condition or disorder that does not impair the applicant’s ability to practice medicine safely. If an applicant discloses that they do currently have a condition or disorder that impairs their ability to practice medicine safely, the Board would be required to provide the applicant with information on a probationary or limited practice license.
The new law does allow the Board to require disclosure of participation in “a mental health or substance use disorder treatment program, including an impaired practitioner program,” if the applicant’s participation resulted from a formal action of a medical board/licensing agency in or outside of California — in other words, if the person was mandated into treatment or into a PHP as part of, or in lieu of, probation.
Changes to both the introductory statement and the question itself have been under discussion by the MBC for some time. The Board had already made some changes in 2019 in response to the recommendations of the Lorna Breen Foundation, and the Board was recognized by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation as having medical licensure applications consistent with their recommendations. This is an additional change that moved the language even closer to the Lorna Breen Foundation recommendations. The Board’s final action was at the August 21 meeting. See the MBC staff’s full report for that agenda item HERE.
Here is the wording adopted by the MBC on August 21:
The introductory statement:
Important: The Board recognizes that healthcare providers encounter health conditions, including those involving physical, mental, and substance use disorders, just as their patients and clients do. In addition to providing care for others, the Board encourages and expects its licensees to also seek care for their own health needs and recognizes that doing so is critical to consumer safety and helps sustain California’s healthcare workforce.
An affirmative answer to the question below will not automatically disqualify you from licensure. The Board will make an individualized assessment of the nature, the severity and the duration of the risks associated with an ongoing medical condition to determine whether an unrestricted license should be issued, whether conditions should be imposed, or whether you are eligible for licensure. Please note that a limited practice license may be available.
Are you currently suffering from any condition that impairs your judgement or otherwise adversely affects your ability to practice medicine safely, that is, in a competent, ethical, and professional manner?
You may answer “No” if you have any condition which does not impair your ability to practice medicine safely or if you are receiving appropriate treatment for a condition, and due to that treatment the condition does not impair your ability to practice medicine safely.
Based on the Medical Board’s approval of that wording, MBC staff will begin the steps necessary to change its licensing application and coordinate it with the BrEZe system so it can be used starting in January 2025.
The Perfectionist Culture of Medicine
In a July/August 2024 article titled Say Something: Addressing Physician Alcohol Use Disorder, Depression, and Suicide, authors point to five steps physicians can take to address the concern that fear of losing their license or other credentials may prevent physicians from seeking the care they need.
They talk about challenging the culture of medicine as it relates to mental health and they advocate for removing credentialing-related barriers. The article is in the American Academy of Family Physicians FPM, see Fam Pract Manag. 2024;31(4):22-26.
New CPPPH Guideline on Monitoring Health Care Professionals
CPPPH has released a 2024 guideline for purchase from its website: Guidelines for Policies and Procedures on Monitoring Health Care Professionals in California: What Medical Staffs Need to Know. You can see the table of contents or purchase a copy HERE. This is the document that will be reviewed during the CPPPH videoconference on November 7. Note that those who purchase a copy of the guideline now can receive a reduced registration fee for the November videoconference.
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