Kernan, you are "spot on"correct. Once you are trapped into an abusive relationship by the PHP everything goes down hill from there. I had been seeing a wonderful psychiatrist for depression and anxiety. The PHP somehow learned of the medications he was prescribing for me. Pozac and a very low dose benzodiazepine. He had to hire an attorney to defend himself and came close to losing his license because he was treating me. This did not help me at all, since I subsequently was trapped into the PHP system. Draconian is the word my physician father used to describe how I was treated.
There is no question that the PHP is a problematic and flawed system. As an attorney (and physician) who practices exclusively in the area of professional healthcare licensing defense, I am interested to know if you have developed strategies that work within the existing statutory frameworks to get more favorable results for physicians facing the PHP? If so, I would enjoy speaking with you. Thank you.
Back in the day at the Big Free (Charity Hospital of New Orleans), the co-medical directors at one time were John Bobear (LSU faculty) and Aris Cox (Tulane faculty). I believe they switched directorship back and forth every two years. They “retired” at some point and moved on.
Ultimately Bobear became Director and Chief Investigative Officer of the LA Board of Medical Examiners, while his buddy Cox became head of Palmetto (I think it was called), the Impaired Physicians Program. So what do you think happened?
Bobear could come down on a Louisiana physician for whatever reason and “sentence” him or her to Palmetto for evaluation, assessing fees and fines, of course. Then Cox, charging his fees as well, could keep the physician basically captive for evaluation. If he deemed the physician to be impaired, then the physician was hooked for life, paying yearly fees to both entities, living in fear of a drop-in visit at any time, and so on and so on.
Both Bobear and Cox have passed on (and may their souls rest In peace), but I don’t think the system is much different today, only probably better lawyered.
Exactly! It's a terribly unfair and irreparably harmful system, punishment masquerading as treatment - but for a non-existent illness. When medical societies fail to protest, and when states refuse to oversee these entities and are essentially in cahoots with the system, it's time for the feds to step in. Making that happen is challenging, but with repeated complaint, it may eventually rise to the top of the stack. But again, if the department is contaminated by special interests, e.g. the powers of the medical board and PHP and its contractors all using their influence, there is no other choice but to bring suit.
And there's the rub. Costly; not many lawyers understand this insider medicalized para-judicial disciplinary system; and by the time you come to your senses, you've been out of a job and your reputation smashed. And you can't afford a lawyer.
That's exactly why I think it's vital to write, educate physicians, get them to realize that they either get up to speed quickly and fight these abuses, or they're next in line for Palmetto.
Kernan, you are "spot on"correct. Once you are trapped into an abusive relationship by the PHP everything goes down hill from there. I had been seeing a wonderful psychiatrist for depression and anxiety. The PHP somehow learned of the medications he was prescribing for me. Pozac and a very low dose benzodiazepine. He had to hire an attorney to defend himself and came close to losing his license because he was treating me. This did not help me at all, since I subsequently was trapped into the PHP system. Draconian is the word my physician father used to describe how I was treated.
Kernan,
There is no question that the PHP is a problematic and flawed system. As an attorney (and physician) who practices exclusively in the area of professional healthcare licensing defense, I am interested to know if you have developed strategies that work within the existing statutory frameworks to get more favorable results for physicians facing the PHP? If so, I would enjoy speaking with you. Thank you.
Hi Steve,
Yes, happy to discuss.
You can email me via Substack or via the CPR website and we can set something up. Look forward to sharing perspectives.
Back in the day at the Big Free (Charity Hospital of New Orleans), the co-medical directors at one time were John Bobear (LSU faculty) and Aris Cox (Tulane faculty). I believe they switched directorship back and forth every two years. They “retired” at some point and moved on.
Ultimately Bobear became Director and Chief Investigative Officer of the LA Board of Medical Examiners, while his buddy Cox became head of Palmetto (I think it was called), the Impaired Physicians Program. So what do you think happened?
Bobear could come down on a Louisiana physician for whatever reason and “sentence” him or her to Palmetto for evaluation, assessing fees and fines, of course. Then Cox, charging his fees as well, could keep the physician basically captive for evaluation. If he deemed the physician to be impaired, then the physician was hooked for life, paying yearly fees to both entities, living in fear of a drop-in visit at any time, and so on and so on.
Both Bobear and Cox have passed on (and may their souls rest In peace), but I don’t think the system is much different today, only probably better lawyered.
Exactly! It's a terribly unfair and irreparably harmful system, punishment masquerading as treatment - but for a non-existent illness. When medical societies fail to protest, and when states refuse to oversee these entities and are essentially in cahoots with the system, it's time for the feds to step in. Making that happen is challenging, but with repeated complaint, it may eventually rise to the top of the stack. But again, if the department is contaminated by special interests, e.g. the powers of the medical board and PHP and its contractors all using their influence, there is no other choice but to bring suit.
And there's the rub. Costly; not many lawyers understand this insider medicalized para-judicial disciplinary system; and by the time you come to your senses, you've been out of a job and your reputation smashed. And you can't afford a lawyer.
That's exactly why I think it's vital to write, educate physicians, get them to realize that they either get up to speed quickly and fight these abuses, or they're next in line for Palmetto.