If you are a medical professional with a substance abuse issue, you will want to address the issue right away. For one, it may be more difficult for you to find employment in the healthcare field. What’s worse, you may lose your medical license. Continue reading to learn what you should do if you have a substance abuse issue and how one of the experienced New York health care professional defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can assist you in getting help.
What should I do if I am a medical professional with a substance abuse issue?
It is important that you work toward resolving your substance abuse issue before another party reports it and ultimately puts your employment in jeopardy. To do so, it is in your best interest to get in contact with the Committee for Physician Health (CPH). The CPH is an agency that works to help you overcome your substance problem through evaluations and treatment programs. For example, in this program, you will frequently undergo random urine tox screens to monitor and ensure that your drug ingestion has ceased.
So if the time for a hearing comes, the CPH will be able to advocate for you and state that you are still fit to practice medicine.
Will I lose my medical license over my substance abuse issue?
If the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) or the Office of Professional Discipline (OPD) finds out about your substance abuse issue before you get into the CPH program, then you may have a larger issue on your hands. Evidently, they will find it gravely dangerous for you, let alone any medical professional, to attend to patients when you are not at your 100 percent mental capacity. And so, they will likely decide to suspend your medical license.
This is why we believe it is much more favorable to get into the CPH program right away. Though the OPMC or OPD may still monitor your practice for five years or so, this is far better than the alternative.
With all that being said, if you have a substance abuse problem, you must retain the services of one of the skilled New York physician defense lawyers. Our firm will even be able to help you if you have been wrongly accused of substance abuse, by conducting evaluations and overall building a strong defense on your behalf. So, without further ado, pick up the phone and give our team a call today.
