In a letter dated August 25, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) joined members of the Medical Association Coalition (MAC) in expressing concerns to the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the mental and emotional well-being of physicians and other healthcare professionals.
In the letter, the MAC encourages the SMBO to review the current initial and renewal applications with hopes that the applications will be further aligned with the recommendations made by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Policy on Wellness and Burnout. Among other criteria, the FSMB recommends considering language such as, “Are you currently suffering from any condition for which you are not being appropriately treated that impairs your judgment or that would otherwise adversely affect your ability to practice medicine in a competent, ethical, and professional manner.” Additionally, the MAC encourages the SMBO to review whether these applications ensure that appropriate differentiation is made between the illness with which a physician has been diagnosed and the impairments that may result.
Furthermore, the MAC encourages the SMBO to also consider exploring changes that would limit the personal health information of licensees related to an illness or diagnosis that is disclosed publicly as part of a SMBO’s disciplinary process. As recommended by the FSMB, information disclosed should relate only to impairment of professional abilities, medical malpractice, and professional misconduct.
Lastly, the MAC encourages the SMBO to consider establishing a new confidential non-disciplinary program, or amending the existing program established through Ohio Administrative Code 4731-28, to allow for the confidential treatment and monitoring of mental health disorders and other conditions impacting a practitioner’s health and well-being. We believe that it is important that this be established and managed by an external organization with appropriate clinical expertise and training. The One-Bite Program provides excellent guidance on the creation of such a program that would encourage early intervention, ensure confidentiality, and promote physicians and other healthcare professionals to seek help for mental health disorders. The MAC encourages the SMBO to consider an expanded partnership with the Ohio Physicians Health Program to establish such a confidential program.
MAC member organizations include the OAFP; the Ohio State Medical Association; the Ohio Osteopathic Association; the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association; the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio; the Ohio Foot and Ankle Association; the Columbus Medical Association; the American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio Chapter; the Ohio Chapter; American College of Emergency Physicians; the Mental Health and Addiction Advocacy Coalition, and NAMI Ohio.