Physician
Health Services, Inc. (PHS) is a confidential resource for physicians,
residents, medical students, group practices, HMO networks, and hospitals with
medical student or physician health concerns, including behavioral or mental
health issues, substance use disorders, and/or physical illness.
PHS
provides a safe environment for physicians to talk to their peers about the
stress and demands of modern medical practice. Our assessments are designed to
identify the health concerns impacting the affected individual’s life and provide
recommendations and resources to assist that person.
Anyone
is welcome and encouraged to contact PHS on his or her own behalf. PHS receives
referrals from colleagues, family members, friends, hospitals, medical schools,
and the Board of Registration in Medicine.
When
someone contacts PHS, the director and associate directors assess the situation
and guide the individual through the appropriate channels. Participation with
PHS is voluntary and confidential. PHS will strongly urge a physician who is ill
to get help, and although PHS does not provide direct treatment, we will
suggest specific resource and treatment options. PHS hosts a number of support
group meetings for physicians and medical students in recovery, as well as for those
who seek peer support.
When
PHS determines that a physician has a substance use disorder, is at risk for
impairment, or has a behavioral health concern that warrants monitoring, the
physician is encouraged to enter into a PHS monitoring contract. The monitoring
contract specifies a course of treatment and documents the physician’s
compliance with the treatment plan.
The
standard contract requires individual therapy, group support meetings, regular
meetings with a designated PHS associate director, random urine drug tests (if
indicated), and regular interaction with a monitor and chief of service in the
workplace who agree to help document the physician’s compliance. PHS services
are confidential, and most are provided at no cost.
Services
include expert consultation and assessment designed to encourage medical
students and physicians to obtain help for substance use, behavioral or mental
health concerns, or physical illness. PHS and its practitioners are not direct
treatment providers. However, PHS does provide the following services:
- Referral
to treatment and counseling
- Recovery
monitoring and documentation
- Support
groups for physicians, medical students, and their families
- Networking
opportunities with colleagues experiencing similar issues
- Educational
programs and presentations for hospitals, HMOs, and medical staff meetings
- Guidance
to hospitals and health care organizations regarding how to handle matters of
physician health
- Grand
rounds, lectures, and speeches at committee and specialty society meetings
PHS provides
assistance with a wide variety of personal and professional situations. Any one
of the following issues may represent a reason to refer someone to PHS or
contact us:
- Difficulty
balancing work and family
- Difficulty
dealing with stress or financial pressure
- Difficulties
managing a practice or coping with a competitive work environment
- Difficulty
dealing with administrative burdens
- Challenges
with retirement planning or a career change
- Distressed
or disruptive behavior
- Depression
or anxiety
- Post-traumatic
stress disorder
- Malpractice
stress
- Stress
following an unexpected outcome or medical error
- Coping
with having witnessed and/or participated in an atrocity-producing situation
- Medically
induced trauma
- Alcohol
and substance use concerns
- Personality
disorders
- Comorbid
psychiatric disorders
- Mood
disorders
- Concerns
about loss of memory and age-related challenges
- Attention
issues
- Learning
disabilities
- Sleep
disorders
- Eating
disorders
- Medical
problems
- Professional
boundary issues
- Domestic
violence
- Marital
problems
- Compulsive
gambling
