PHPs (Physician Health Programs) – A Critical Look - Part 2
A deeper dive on critically important but unknown aspects of the PHP system.
(Here’s a link to Part 2 of the PHPs: Critical Look webinar Mar 15, 2023 8pm EDT.Register ASAP as space is limited.)
[Be sure to see Part 1 of this piece where all these acronyms are translated.]
We had a dynamite, fully engaged group for Part 1 last week.
We covered a lot of really important but generally unknown basics:
what in the world is a PHP;
how it’s related to medical licensing board and to the diverse health care entities (like hospitals and residency programs);
what a PHP does - and doesn’t, and can’t - do;
the near unquestionable diagnostic and mandated treatment authority is possesses;
emerging concerns about major career jeopardies if non-overseen PHPs overstep their bounds;
and some strongly recommended pointers about how best to approach and deal with one if you find yourself in a situation where you’re coerced to submit to a PHP examination and referral.
You’ve got to know the PHP system’s mindset and workings if you want to have a chance of unwarranted ensnarement.
“Physician Health Programs (PHPs): A Critical Look - Part 2” Wednesday, March 15th, at 8pm EDT.
If you’re a doc or any other professional in healthcare, you need - NEED - to understand the nature of this entity so you can make well-informed decisions about how you’re going to approach it.
Are you a licensed professional of ANY sort including OUTSIDE of healthcare? Not a healthcare clinician? Don’t for a minute think this is of little consequence to you. You’ll soon have your very own PHP!
For those who are not clinicians in healthcare, don’t for a minute think this is of little consequence to you. Because this program has, through regulatory capture, not only become the sole fitness for duty evaluator for nearly all of US medicine, it has its eyes set on expansion to all other high end professions that require licensure. In fact, many PHPs are quietly changing their names - from Physicians Health Program to Professionals Health Program.
Dentist? Veterinarian? Therapist? Lawyer? You name it. Need license to operate your practice? Have a state board that controls your licensure and exercises discipline? Coming your way.
Just an aside … the good news about it metastasizing to the legal community [lawyer jokes aside] is that they’re the only ones who know the law and how to protect themselves. But boys and girls, lemme tell ya, this is one crafty enterprise that knows how to regulatorily capture a licensing system while also getting the state to turn its eyes away.
In Part 1, some questioned …
Last week in Part 1, there were numerous thoughtful questions, in fact too many for us to be able to field in the very compressed one hour.
“Can a PHP reveal my protected health information to my board? to my dept chief? to my partners?” “ Can I refuse to go for an evaluation?” “Can they dig into my pre-MD personal background and dredge up earlier traumas?”
Now, this week in Part 2 (Wednesday, Mar 15th, 8pm EDT), we’re going for a deeper dive on some of these real thorny - and potentially career-threatening - issues. And … we’ll look at some little known but critically important things you can do to prepare yourself and protect your rights should you find yourself in the mandated assessment situation.
I can tell you from consulting in depth with hundreds of docs – unawareness of the potential encroachment of your rights (of which most had no idea) coupled with naive trust in the presumed beneficence of a system has cost too many docs their practice freedom, and some, their lives.
After we complete Part 2, we’ll be putting together a “key pointers” checklist of the essentials we’ve covered and will let all registered attendees know where they can download it. But … the only way we’ll be able to send it is if you register for the webinar.
And … for those who attend or retrospectively catch the two replays, one or both of us will be hosting an interactive zoom call where you can ask us more questions as well as offer your perspective (and guidance!). But it’ll be limited to those who’ve attended or watched the replays.
So reserve your spot ASAP and make every effort to attend. It’s just one hour. Wednesday, Mar 15th, 8pm.
Here’s the link again: “Physician Health Programs (PHPs): A Critical Look”
This link will no longer be valid after the webinar. So, to register for access to the replays, there’ll be another one.
(Everyone who registered for Part 1 should’ve gotten a reminder with the link for Part 2, but if not, use the link to re-register.)
And if you know others who really could benefit from this first-of-a-kind webinar, here’s a share button:
Sign up ASAP.
Register for “Physician Health Programs (PHPs): A Critical Look”.
Dr. Louise Andrew, MD, JD, and I have examined the PHP issue over a span of years (myself more than a decade) and have been increasingly concerned about several very problematic patterns. We also know that the vast majority of physicians have almost no knowledge about the medial regulatory system that governs their professional lives and that early missteps in dealing with this power-house could be career-lethal.
We will again stay as fact-based as possible in our presentation, each of us having spoken with hundreds of physicians who’ve been involved as detainees of the MRTC’s PHP system.
Some of the areas we’ll cover in Part 2 will include:
Getting clarity on the core nature of PHP services
PHPs and concerns re the policy - and nature of - drug testing
Costly multi-day (3-4 day) assessments
Privacy / Confidentiality issues
The ‘Safe Harbor’ Ruse
PHP impact on job / career
The critical importance of documentation, and what types
Legal & Regulatory Requirements, Principles, and Concerns
Licensee rights to challenge
And the necessity of becoming knowledgeable and proactive in compelling protection of one’s rights.
While the majority of physicians will never be ordered to be evaluated by a PHP, for those who are, the experience and ensuing cascade of career and life consequences can be more traumatic than any potential impairment concern that was originally raised. (Which is why Medscape’s Pauline Anderson titled her article “PHPs: More Harm than Good?”)
For this two part webinar, we’ve essentially created a Cliff notes summary of a multi-chaptered book on PHPs.
Grand Rounds PTSD?
This is not your traditional “medical presentation” where academic know-it-alls slap up a dismal and seemingly endless powerpoint and attendees leave cognitively dulled with a mental concussion. It’s more like an interactive OpEd where we present what we know, share specific danger-point concerns and offer some pointed recommendations.
If you are, might in the future be, or have been involved with a PHP, or know someone who has or might be … you need to attend this.
So if you are, might in the future be, or have been involved with a PHP or know someone who has, this is a unique opportunity to learn about an entity that exercises life and death power over your career.
Again, here’s the link to register: http://bit.ly/pjephp2023
One registration covers you for both webinars. But keep in mind, seats are limited.
For those who already registered and attended last week, you should’ve gotten a reminder with the clickable link to the webinar. If you haven’t, just go ahead and re-register.
And p.s., this is a free, open-registration webinar - so please forward this to all whom you think might benefit. And we’d welcome attendance from any who are involved in some capacity with the MRTC – those who sit on medical boards, who run PHPs, lawyers who represent physicians or boards, and therapists and coaches who counsel physicians who’ve become involved in some way with PHPs and MLBs.
As previously, a knowledge disclaimer:
In the event that either co-presenter says something that you believe is factually incorrect, we would welcome hearing from you so that we might examine your concern. And further, speaking for myself only (but with open invitation to my co-presenter), I would especially welcome doing a podcast or webinar with any medical board, physician health program, organized medicine leaders or lawyers. I’d be happy to have you as my guest on Physician Interrupted, and I’d gladly be a guest on yours.
Again, the link to register: http://bit.ly/pjephp2023.
We truly look forward to having you join us.