North Carolina Physicians Health Program NCPHP

NC Physicians Health Program (PHP)

Improving the quality of health care for the people in North Carolina through assurance of healthy medical professionals.

Purpose
Warning Signs
Program Principles
Contact PHP
PHP Board and Staff

Purpose of PHP
Background
North Carolina Physicians Health Program (NCPHP) originated in 1981. The North Carolina legislature voted to have the Board refer impaired physicians to the North Carolina Medical Society's Physicians Health and Effectiveness Committee. This new requirement complemented the Board's power to act against the licenses of impaired physicians by giving the Board a resource for providing those physicians an opportunity to seek rehabilitation. In 1987, the system was improved by further legislative action. Finally, in 1988, an agreement between the Board and the North Carolina Medical Society created the North Carolina Physicians Health and Effectiveness Program (PHEP), later renamed the North Carolina Physicians Health Program (NCPHP). In 1994, the Physicians Health Program became a 501c(3) private, non-profit organization.

Confidentiality and anonymity are key elements of the program and are assured under NC State Statute 90-21.22. The names of those reported to NCPHP are carefully guarded. In addition, the anonymity of our sources of information is protected by law, allowing referrals to our program to be made without fear of repercussions.

The Problem
IMPAIRED PRACTITIONER: One with chemical dependency, mental illness, physical illness,
or aging problems who may be unable to care for his or her patients with reasonable skill, attention, or safety. Many physicians and health care personnel are uninformed about chemical dependency and mental illness. These are treatable diseases that can be arrested.

How to Help
NCPHP is available to aid any physician or physician assistant (PA) whose health and/or
effectiveness has been significantly impaired by alcohol, chemical dependency, behavior
issues, aging, or other illness. Experience shows that victims of impairment often are
incapable of reaching out for help on their own. Although it is normal human behavior to
ignore problems that appear too complicated or without a viable solution -- and even though you may not be sure a problem exists -- it is important to take that first step by calling NCPHP.

How the Program Works
The North Carolina program is designed to identify and assist troubled physicians and PAs before they endanger their patients or themselves.
While dangerously impaired practitioners must, by law, be reported to the NC Medical Board, a successful intervention program may help make drastic action -- such as medical license revocation -- unnecessary. When a possibly impaired practitioner is reported to NCPHP, one or
both of the medical directors evaluates the information and determines if a problem exists. If it appears follow-up is warranted, the medical directors approach the troubled colleague, do an indepth assessment of the situation, and attempt to persuade him or her to begin an appropriate course of treatment. Follow-up monitoring is provided to help guard against a recurrence of the
problem.

How Well Does the Program Work?
Nearly 90 percent of North Carolina physicians and PAs participating in our program are in recovery and have actively returned to the safe practice of medicine.

Warning Signs
Attitude/Behavior Changes:

• Rapidly turns from compassionate and caring to abrupt, caustic
  
• Withdraws from friends and activities
  
• Becomes mistrusting, anxious, depressed, irritable

• Loss of appetite or reduced level of exercise
  
• Looks tired; admits to insomnia
  
• Personal hygiene deteriorates
  
• Physical problems are self-treated

• Misses appointments
  
• Make rounds at unusual hours
  
• Can't be reached when on call
  
• Sloppy charting
  
• Smell of alcohol on breath during the day

• Family communication deteriorates
  
• Frequent arguments; spouse blamed
  
• Occurrence of spouse, child abuse
  
• Children may exhibit poor school performance
  
• Jealousy, infidelity leading to separation, divorce

• Humanitarian concern for the public and the impaired physician or physician assistant.
  
• Recognition that alcoholism, drug abuse, and
  mental illness among physicians are too often ignored or untreated; that these diseases are treatable conditions; and that treatment and rehabilitation personnel with skills in these areas have a good success record.


• Encouragement of all impaired physicians to seek help and cooperate in treatment at the earliest possible time in order to retain or regain full effectiveness to practice.


• Employment of constructive coercion in order to encourage the impaired individual to obtain necessary assistance when the impairment poses a
  threat to reasonable delivery of health care.


• Employment of legal coercion when all other efforts have failed.

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