The role that Physician Health Programs (PHPs) play has evolved in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the topic of physician wellness and burnout prevention into the national spotlight. PHPs play a vital role, ensuring the safety of patients by preventing impaired physicians from practicing while simultaneously helping physicians regain wellness. Addiction psychiatrists who treat physicians must understand both the unique strengths that these patients possess as well as the public safety and regulatory concerns that should be considered in treatment planning. In this workshop, leadership from the PHPs of two different states, Massachusetts and South Carolina, will provide learners with an overview of the unique issues an addiction psychiatrist must consider if their patient is also a physician. In the didactic section, we will provide a brief historical context for PHPs and explain their purpose and function. We will then review special considerations regarding physicians as patients, including their role as safety-sensitive workers and issues related to burnout. Finally, we will discuss regulatory considerations such as credentialing, as well as factors to consider when relating to state medical boards. For the interactive portion of the workshop, we will share a case of a physician seeking treatment. The audience will divide into small groups to talk about the ways in which their approach to the case would be different or the same because the patient is a physician. We will conclude with a large group discussion of the case, focusing on the physician’s involvement with a PHP.
Amy Harrington, MD, Chairperson
Amy Harrington, MD, CPE, FAPA is the Vice Chair of Quality and Ambulatory Psychiatry at UMass Memorial Health/UMass Chan Medical School, where she has worked since completing her Addiction Psychiatry fellowship at Boston University in 2010. She was an Associate Director for Physician Health Service, Inc, the physician health program for Massachusetts, where she developed an interest in physician wellness. She is now interested in coaching and other interventions to address burnout and health issues, particularly in female physicians.
Rebecca Payne, MD, Presenter
Dr. Rebecca Payne, MD, is an addiction and forensic psychiatrist in Columbia, SC, with over 20 years of experience. She currently serves as the medical director for the South Carolina Recovering Professional Program.
Mark Albanese, MD, Presenter
Mark Albanese, MD, is the Medical Director of Physician Health Services (PHS) at the Massachusetts Medical Society. Dr. Albanese is a graduate of Harvard College and Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University. He trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts Mental Health Center. Prior to coming to PHS, Dr. Albanese was at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), where his roles included Director of Addictions and Director of Outpatient Psychiatry. He is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and continues to teach at CHA. Dr. Albanese is board-certified in both psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.
Paul Simeone, PhD, Presenter
Paul Simeone, Ph.D., M.A., is the Executive Director of Physicians Health Services (PHS) at the Massachusetts Medical Society. Before coming to PHS, he was the VP & Chief Medical Executive of Behavioral Health at Lee Health in Southwest Florida, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences & Social Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine. Prior to this, he was Associate Director of Outpatient Psychiatry at The Cambridge Health Alliance and maintained a private, independent practice in Belmont, MA.
Dr. Simeone received his M.A. in experimental psychology from Mount Holyoke College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University in New York.
He completed his clinical training at The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, where he was a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He was also awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in HMO Mental Health at Harvard Community Health Plan, where, as a staff member, he held a variety of clinical, leadership and teaching positions. As a psychologist at McLean Hospital, he joined the clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has taught at HMS and at other institutions for the last 30 years.