Need assistance or ready to help a physician in need?
Need assistance or ready to help a physician in need?
Healthcare professionals are important guardians of their patients’ health, but are often hesitant to seek help for their colleagues or themselves. WPHP provides services to physicians, anesthesiology assistants, physician assistants, dentists, and veterinarians, as well as students and residents of these professions. Active licensure is not a requirement for participation.
WPHP assists healthcare professionals with any health condition that may affect safe clinical practice.
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
If you are concerned about a healthcare professional (including yourself), you can contact us anonymously through our website or call us to discuss the situation. An experienced clinician will listen, answer your questions, and provide suggestions for next steps if indicated. We know that the circumstances that lead someone to contact WPHP can be stressful. Our goal is to provide compassion, reassurance, and the information you need to make informed decisions.
Upon referral to WPHP, clinical staff will determine if an initial in-office assessment is indicated. During initial assessment, we will meet with the professional, inquire about their perspective, gather health and psychosocial histories, administer a cognitive screen, and obtain laboratory testing to inform next steps.
Based on the referral concern and information obtained during the initial assessment, WPHP may recommend further evaluation. We may be able to utilize local providers to assist with completing some evaluations. When the health condition is complex in nature, we also utilize residential centers with special expertise in the evaluation of healthcare professionals to provide a CDE. The CDE often includes psychiatric, psychological, medical, and substance use evaluations, as well as neurocognitive testing. The goal is to efficiently evaluate complex health conditions and obtain treatment recommendations.
Treatment depends on the type and severity of the underlying health condition. Treatment of active or untreated substance use disorders or complex mental health issues is completed at WPHP-approved treatment centers that have extensive experience and expertise in the treatment of healthcare professionals. These centers offer programming and peer-support experiences that are tailored to the unique rehabilitative needs of this population.
This model of care, followed by a post-treatment health support agreement with WPHP, yields gold standard results. For substance use disorders, 87% of WPHP program participants have no return to use at 5 years, compared to only 50% of individuals in the general population at 6 months in usual care. Data suggest equally outstanding outcomes for mental health conditions without substance use disorder.
Upon successful completion of evaluation and any indicated treatment, a healthcare professional may enter into a WPHP health support agreement. This occurs when an evaluation indicates that a healthcare professional is experiencing an illness that is impairing or is reasonably likely to result in impairment. A WPHP Health Support Agreement is the most effective strategy to protect patient safety while enabling healthcare professionals to return to work as soon as possible. Health Support Agreements are individualized and range from one to three years for non-substance-use-related conditions. Health Support Agreements for primary substance use disorders range from one year for mild disorders and up to five years for moderate and severe disorders.
High-quality, evidence-based health support agreements are the cornerstone of WPHP’s advocacy efforts. Employers, credentialing bodies, regulators, and other stakeholders in Washington trust WPHP’s endorsement of a health professional’s safety to practice because of our strong health status verification reputation and our experience working with all concerned parties.
Once a healthcare professional is engaged and successfully treated and enrolled in a health support agreement, WPHP can advocate in employment, insurance, regulatory, legal, and other issues as necessary. Most healthcare organizations across Washington state are familiar with WPHP and are reassured by the “medical clearance” that a WPHP endorsement provides.
The benefits of WPHP extend beyond addressing illness. Healthy doctors means having better care, decreased medical errors, increased patient satisfaction, lower malpractice rates, and better treatment outcomes overall.
Colleagues report that WPHP is a valuable resource to the medical community
Colleagues who would refer another colleague to WPHP
Participants who receive help without ever being known to their licensing board
Participants report being treated with courtesy and respect by WPHP
Participants report needing and benefiting from WPHP advocacy
Participants who are working in their field at program completion
Participants with substance use disorder who remain abstinent at 5 years
Participants who describe their WPHP experience as helpful or lifesaving
Colleagues report that WPHP provides exceptional service
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