Our ISMA Physician Assistance Program has been operating now for more than 20 years. In that time, the program has assessed, triaged, referred and monitored hundreds of our colleagues.

The results are most encouraging. The vast majority of physician colleagues were returned to health and productive careers.

Most referrals are the result of physician impairment due to drug and/or alcohol addiction. However, impairment and disability from psychiatric illness is not rare.

You can easily make a referral to our program. Simply call the ISMA for details. We will provide a timely assessment of the situation, and then make a referral for a comprehensive evaluation by clinical teams with the appropriate experience.

Our ISMA program does not provide treatment, but offers ongoing monitoring after treatment is complete.

Helping the disruptive physician
In recent years, our ISMA program also has become involved in assessing, triaging and monitoring the disruptive physician. Issues regarding disruptive colleagues are increasingly recognized as a threat to patient safety and, therefore, the problem has attracted the attention of accreditation officials.

Fortunately, this treatment area is maturing and several facilities in the country have gained significant experience with it. Our early experience in this area also has been gratifying, with most of our Indiana colleagues returning to productive practice.

Remember, that in making any of these types of referrals, the bylaws or constitutional due process laid out by your hospital must be completed before the ISMA program can intervene.

Also note that the confidentiality of our program is nearly absolute. Most physicians in the ISMA program enter and receive their treatment and monitoring, and then exit without the involvement of any regulatory body or database.