SACRAMENTO – Today Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) announced the introduction of AB 408 to establish a Physician Health and Wellness Program (PHWP) to help physicians with substance use disorders and other conditions receive treatment so they can continue practicing safely.
“When our physicians struggle with substance use disorders, it is in the best interest of both patients and physicians to support them in seeking out help. That’s why I am proud to introduce AB 408, which builds off of my years of work to destigmatize seeking treatment for substance use disorders,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman. “This is fundamentally about patient safety. Today, physicians struggling with substance use disorders can feel pressure to hide their condition and often never get the help they need. The creation of this program will help healthcare providers get the care they need, which will better protect patients in the end.”
“On behalf of Medical Board of California, we are grateful that Assemblymember Berman is partnering with us to promote safe patient care through a physician health and wellness program. Impaired healthcare providers can cause devastating harm. This program will provide care and treatment to the Board’s current and future licensees so that they can stay healthy and provide the high-quality care that patients deserve,” said Kristina Lawson, President of the Medical Board of California. “The Board’s mission is to protect patients and, too often, we first learn about a dangerous physician after their patient has been hurt. This legislation takes a proactive approach to prevent patient harm by getting care and treatment to physicians before they become unsafe to practice medicine.”
“Physicians, like all people, experience mental health struggles, but they often try to navigate these situations on their own due to fear that seeking help will harm them professionally and prevent them from doing what they love as doctors,” said President of the California Medical Association Shannon Udovic-Constant, M.D. “AB 408 would establish an effective, confidential program – similar to what other states have and in line with national best practices – that supports physicians’ health and wellness and protects patients by allowing physicians to be at their best.”
AB 408 sponsored by the Medical Board of California, would allow the board to establish a Physician Health and Wellness Program (PHWP) that utilizes what experts have found to be the most effective approach to helping physicians with substance use disorders and other conditions receive treatment so they can continue practicing safely. The board’s previous diversion program was found in an audit to be ineffective and was subsequently eliminated, resulting in the board having no formal program for impaired physicians for a number of years. A prior bill from 2016 authorized them to reestablish a physician health and wellness program; however, the language was later determined to be inconsistent with evidence-based best practices and the board concluded that physicians would be discouraged to participate. This bill would revise that statutory authority to allow the board to establish an effective program.
Contact: Bermanpress@asm.ca.gov