Stay up to date with news, announcements, and upcoming event information from the Washington Physicians Health Program team. For an archive of relevant resources on a wide variety of physicians health topics, please visit Articles and Publications.
The Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP) Annual Education Conference is a highly anticipated event that brings together experts, advocates, and stakeholders in the field of physician health. This year’s conference, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was no exception. WPHP’s participation in the conference was multifaceted, reflecting the organization’s commitment to advancing the field of physician health through expertise, innovation, and advocacy.
A major highlight for WPHP was the development of an alternative toxicology testing paradigm. At the 2022 FSPHP Education Conference, WPHP presented innovative approaches to toxicology testing that utilized technological advances in specimen collection and validation systems. This year, Dr. Bundy and Ms. Courtney Strong returned to the conference to present follow-up data and answer questions, helping to improve toxicology testing for other programs.
Dr. Bundy also joined panelists J. Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Scott Hambleton, MD, DFASAM, Michael Baron, MD, MPH, DFASAM, to discuss the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s mission to support the well-being of healthcare workers at the conference.
In addition, Dr. Bundy participated in the FSMB-FSPHP joint session where he and co-presenter Mike Farrell, JD, Policy Director at WMC, highlighted the collaborative effort between WMC and WPHP. In doing so WPHP and WMC aim to inspire and encourage other states to establish similar coordinated relationships.
Another area of focus during the conference was the presentation by Dr. Bundy, along with Dr. Michael Baron and Buddy Stockwell III, JD, on Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in Safety Sensitive Workers. Their presentation drew on their extensive knowledge and experience to provide insights on this important topic.
WPHP’s involvement in the FSPHP Annual Education Conference was not limited to presentations and panels. The organization also took the opportunity to connect with fellow experts and advocates, building partnerships and networks that will strengthen the field of physician health to improve outcomes for physicians and patients alike.
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Physician burnout, psychiatric problems, and substance use disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. However, the costs of recovery for physicians enrolled in Physician Health Programs (PHPs) remain unexamined. This survey study published in The American Journal on Addictions recent article sheds light on the financial strain on physicians, especially those in training, and highlights resources for financial assistance such as fee deferrals and sliding scale fees. It’s crucial that access to PHPs is available, destigmatized, and affordable for all physicians.
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WPHP works to protect and enhance the confidentiality of our participants. We’ve compiled a list to highlight some of the hard work we’ve done over the past year.
Recently, Dr. Bundy interviewed with InvestigateTV to explain how confidentiality for physicians translates to safer care for patients.
A few weeks ago, in partnership with the Washington State Medical Association and the Washington Medical Commission, WPHP was successful in preserving an important protection for participant confidentiality in the public records act.
WPHP introduced legislation in 2022 that adds enhanced confidentiality protections for program participants. SSB 5496 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.
In November 2021, WPHP worked closely with the Washington Medical Commission to remove licensure questions about health history, replacing them with an advisory that points to WPHP. The amended application only asks about current impairing or potentially impairing substance use that is not known to WPHP.
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The Fall 2021 Issue of the Federation of State Physicians Health program Physician Health News features a moving message from Dr. Bundy.
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)/National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with the Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP), is conducting a research study to understand how neural circuitry and human physiology is changed by addiction and repaired by recovery. Our PHP follows your recovery status closely – we understand your journey in recovery better than any other set of people in the world. This cohort—YOU—are essential to the goal of this research study – to identify brain biomarkers of addiction and thus, optimize the efficacy of currently available therapeutics. Please contact Betty Jo Salmeron, M.D. at (443) 740-2651 or BSalmeron@nih.gov to learn more. More information about the study is here too: https://fsphp.memberclicks.net/how-php-participants-can-get-involved.
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Thank you Federation of State Physician Health Programs, INC (FSPHP) for sharing this interview with Dr. Chris Bundy and others exploring burnout, the pandemic, and how PHPs can be a resource in times of need.
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Don’t forget to register for FSPHP’s 2021 Virtual Education Conference!
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In this Issue of Physician Health News, WPHP Executive Medical Director and FSPHP President, Dr. Chris Bundy, reflects on the silver linings and lessons learned from Covid-19 in 2020.
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Congratulations to our Executive Medical Director, Dr. Chris Bundy, who recently began his two-year term as President of the Federation of State Physician Health Program.
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FSPHP Immediate Past President, Dr. Paul Earley, was interviewed as part of the March issue of the Carlat Addiction Treatment Report’s article Personal Privacy Versus Public Safety: Addiction Among Health Professionals. This article explains the balance that PHPs must strike between protecting the doctor and protecting the public.
CARLAT VERDICT: “Physician health programs are highly successful and are the gold standard for abstinence-based treatment. Lessons can be gleaned from their structure and applied to other models, including the importance of a contingency management framework and long-term monitoring.”
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The FSPHP Spring 2020 issue of Physician Health News is now available! This issue introduces our Executive Medical Director, Dr. Chris Bundy, as the 2020-2022 FSPHP President and includes a contribution from our Director of Program Development, Shea Scheuler.
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The American Society of Addiction Medicine recently posted its updated Physician Health Statement, Physicians and Other Health Professionals with Addiction, this policy statement strongly endorses the Physician Health Program model and demonstrates the value of a collaborative relationship with our partners in organized medicine.
Congratulations to the Federation of State Physician Health Programs for their successful collaboration with ASAM on this important work!
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