For years, physicians and other health professionals have shied away from care, fearing career ramifications. Part of the problem has been that medical licensing boards, hospital and health system credentialing applications and other applications contain inappropriate, stigmatizing language requiring medical students, residents and other physicians to disclose if they ever were diagnosed with or received treatment for a mental health or behavioral health condition.
While it’s important for patients’ safety to identify physicians who have a current impairment, questions that state boards, hospital credentialing committees or insurers may ask about past diagnoses or treatment have little or no bearing on a physician’s current fitness to practice medicine, the AMA says.
The AMA supports language that asks: “Are you currently suffering from any condition that impairs your judgment or that would otherwise adversely affect your ability to practice medicine in a competent, ethical and professional manner?” (Yes/No.)
An AMA Advocacy Resource Center brief, “Campaign to support medical student, resident and physician health and well-being” (PDF) explores why stigmatizing language needs to be removed, outlines how organizations can go about identifying things that needs to be changed and gives examples and guidance on how to make changes, among other things.
Medical boards, health systems make changes
With a concerted effort from the AMA, the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and others, the number of credentialing boards, hospitals and others that are recognizing they have language that is harmful to physician and other health care professionals’ well-being and taking the steps to remove it continues to grow.
More than 1.1 million licensed health professionals and 115,000 credentialed health care workers no longer face licensing or credentialing applications that ask intrusive mental health questions and use stigmatizing language that drives physicians and others to forgo their own mental health care.
According to the ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare—a national coalition that the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation leads, and the AMA works closely with—the number of Wellbeing First Champions it has recognized as of Sept. 1, include:
- 29 state medical boards, a 16% increase over last year. Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia’s boards joined the list of champions that already included California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.
- 375 hospitals for their credentialling applications—a 400% increase from last year’s 75 hospitals that had been recognized.
- The first insurance company: PacificSource Health Plans.
- Jackson and Coker Locums Tenens and Envision Healthcare verified their internal applications and forms don’t impede physician well-being.
- The first four state nursing licensure boards: Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
- The first dental licensing board: Texas.
To be recognized, these organizations go through an application process where they demonstrate that their questions do not jeopardize mental well-being. For example, medical boards can show that they ask one question consistent with the Federation of State Medical Board’s recommended language that it approved in 2018 that addresses all mental and physical health conditions as one, with no added explanations, asterisks or fine print.
The AMA “has been proud to work alongside the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and so many medical societies and national organizations to take action to remove stigmatizing language on licensing, credentialing and other applications,” said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD. “The actions taken now help pave the way for a healthier, safer and more productive physician and healthcare professional workforce. We urge all states, hospitals, health systems, liability carriers and others to join us in this important effort.”
Corey Feist, the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation co-founder and CEO said that “the importance of removing these barriers cannot be overstated.” Because physician and other health care worker’s well-being is key to keeping communities healthy.
“By eliminating stigmatizing mental health questions from licensing and credentialing processes, we are taking a crucial step toward ensuring that all health workers can seek the care they may need without fear,” Feist said.
Not receiving the mental health care they need leads to higher suicide rates and higher burnout rates for physicians.
How the AMA is advocating change
In addition to pushing for changes to the questions that state medical boards, hospitals and insurers ask, the AMA is pushing for laws at the state and federal levels that support medical students, residents and physicians’ mental health needs.
For example, the AMA succeeded in helping lobby lawmakers to pass the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act that bolsters the mental health infrastructure supporting physicians and other health professionals, including grants for employee education and peer-support programming.
The AMA also supports state legislation that establishes safe haven reporting systems and wellness programs for physicians and others to seek care for burnout and other stressors, along with mental health issues. You can learn more about the changes the AMA is advocating and success stories from around the nation.
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine™.
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