FSMB's Updated Policy on Physician Impairment in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACT At the 2011 FSMB Annual Meeting, the FSMB House of Delegates adopted an updated Policy on Physician Impairment that provides guidance to state medical and osteopathic boards for including physician health programs (PHPs) as part of their efforts to protect the public. Based on current best practices, the policy offers a vision for boards and PHPs to effectively assist impaired licensees and licensees with potentially impairing illnesses. The policy offers a discussion of the terms “functional impairment” and “potentially impairing illness,” defines other key terms and provides a model for implementing a successful physician health program. It also provides criteria for determining when physicians should be referred for professional evaluation/assessment and guidelines to help in the selection of providers or facilities to assist in the evaluation/assessment of physicians with addictive and/or psychiatric illness. The policy offers guidance and criteria for treatment, discharge planning, continuing care and relapse management and monitoring, and concludes with sections on physical impairment in physicians and the application of the PHP model for allied health practitioners. The newly adopted policy is being published in this issue of the Journal of Medical Regulation as a service to our readers. Please note that the policy makes reference to two sources of additional information from the Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP): the organization's public policy on Physician Illness vs. Impairment and its Physician Health Program Guidelines. Both documents can be accessed at FSPHP's website, at www.fsphp.org.