A Physician Health Program (PHP) is a confidential resource for physicians, other licensed healthcare professionals or those in training suffering from addictive, psychiatric, medical, behavioral or other potentially impairing conditions. PHPs coordinate effective detection, evaluation, treatment and continuing care monitoring of physicians, other licensed healthcare professionals or those in training who have these conditions. This coordination and documentation of a participant’s progress allows PHPs to provide documentation verifying a participant’s compliance with treatment and/or continuing care recommendations.
The WVMPHP is a confidential resource, to the maximum extent provided by law, for any physician, podiatrist, physician assistant or medical students/residents, and their spouses, domestic partners, families, employers and colleagues who have concerns that a practitioner might be suffering illness and at risk for potential impairment.
The WVMPHP helps identify, refer for evaluation and/or treatment, monitor the compliance with treatment recommendations and endorses the well-being of healthcare practitioners who have a mental health or addictive illness, which could potentially affect their ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety. Some examples of these conditions are substance abuse or dependence, including alcohol, depressive disorder, bipolar mood disorder and anxiety disorders.
Physicians, podiatrists, physician assistants and medical students/residents.
Yes, participation in the WVMPHP is recommended if you have any current issues needing assistance and are applying or have applied for a WV license and are in recovery.
The WVMPHP provides assistance and guidance for healthcare practitioners who may be suffering from mental health or addictive illnesses, which could potentially affect their ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety. Some examples of these conditions are substance abuse or dependence, including alcohol, depressive disorder, bipolar mood disorder and anxiety disorders.
The WVMPHP operates under very strict guidelines pertaining to confidentiality and information is protected to the maximum extent provided by existing State and Federal law. The WVMPHP does not disclose the identity or information about any current or former participant without an executed written release of information. Confidentiality is contingent upon compliance with treatment recommendations and public safety.
When confidentiality is endorsed and assured by PHPs and regulatory agencies, physicians with potentially impairing conditions are more likely to come forward and utilize a PHP service earlier, which reduces the likelihood of the illness progressing to overt impairment.
The WVMPHP supports confidential and compassionate care for all people, including physicians suffering from addictive, psychiatric, medical or other potentially impairing conditions. The WVMPHP advocates for the privacy and confidentiality of a physician’s health and treatment history including participation in the WVMPHP.
The WVMPHP provides for anonymous participation provided participant is compliant with treatment recommendations, follows direction and there are no public safety issues. Licensees experiencing substance use disorders who are compliant may remain anonymous to their licensing board upon licensure renewal provided they have no legal issues or other reporting requirements.
Please call (304)933-1030 to make a referral. All calls are confidential and anonymous calls are welcome. All our contact information is listed under the “Contact Us” link on this website.
Physician Health Programs use an evidence-based approach in order to promote appropriate evaluation and/or treatment of healthcare providers suffering from treatable conditions. At times, physicians who are enrolled in the PHP are sent for appropriate comprehensive evaluation and/or treatment necessary to ensure the ability of the physician or other licensed healthcare professional to safely return to the practice of medicine. Unfortunately, not every state has treatment programs that can facilitate these specialized services that are necessary for treatment of patients employed in safety sensitive positions.
The treatment of physicians and other licensed healthcare professionals occurs with the knowledge that (1) addictive, psychiatric, medical, behavioral or other potentially impairing conditions may be chronic, relapsing conditions; and (2) without appropriate treatment and ongoing support, individual health and public safety are at risk.
Consequently, the treatment of physicians and other professionals, such as pilots, in a safety sensitive employment is more intensive and extensive than the treatment of those in the general population. Because of this higher level of treatment coupled with PHP supported continuing care, the treatment outcomes of physicians and other licensed healthcare professionals in safety sensitive employment are much better than outcomes in the general population.
In the general population, substance use disorders and other psychiatric illnesses are common. More than 10 percent of Americans will develop an addictive disorder in their lifetime, representing over 30 million people. In the physician population, at least 10 percent of physicians will develop an addictive disorder over the course of their career, and approximately one-third of physicians will have a condition that could impact their ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety at some point in their career.
Physician Health Programs enhance early detection of potentially impairing illness, with documented long-term maintenance of remission with successful outcomes. Physicians who have successfully completed monitoring with a PHP have been shown to experience a lower risk of malpractice claims after monitoring.
Addiction, psychiatric disorders and other medical conditions can potentially be impairing.
By definition, impairment means that a physician is unable to practice medicine with reasonable skill or safety due to an illness. Professionals diagnosed with these conditions may or may not demonstrate “impairment.”
Unfortunately, individuals equate “illness” (i.e. addiction or depression) as synonymous with “impairment”. Physician illness and impairment exist on a continuum with illness typically predating impairment, often by many years.
This is a critically important distinction. Illness is the existence of a disease. Impairment is a functional classification and implies the inability of the person affected by disease to perform specific activities.
Most physicians who become ill are able to function effectively even during the earlier stages of their illness due to their training and dedication. For most, this is the time of referral to a state PHP. Even if illness progresses to cause impairment, treatment usually results in remission and restoration of function. PHPs are then in a position to monitor stability and continuing progress in recovery.
*For additional information please read the FSPHP’s public policy statement on physician illness versus impairment.
Several long-term studies have reported recovery rates between 70-90 percent for physicians with substance use disorders monitored by PHPs. Abstinence rates approaching 90 percent are reported for physicians in PHPs with substance use disorders, at the end of 5-years. Physicians who have successfully completed monitoring with a PHP have been shown to experience a lower risk of malpractice claims after monitoring.