California is clamping down on state-run recovery programs for healthcare workers with addiction problems after officials found that drug abusers returning to work were poorly monitored and not being disciplined for relapses.
The state Department of Consumer Affairs has announced a set of new rules governing so-called diversion programs, which let healthcare workers avoid discipline and return to work if they submit to regular drug testing, enter a recovery program and agree to close monitoring. According to ProPublica, government audits and an investigative report published last summer showed that existing programs, run individually by the state's many health licensing agencies, failed to adequately follow up on drug abusers who resumed practicing.
The new standards would:
Require licensed healthcare workers suspected of drug abuse to pay for their own clinical evaluations to determine whether they can safely return to work. That cannot resume practicing until they've cleared 1 month of negative drug test results.
Require drug abusers to take a minimum of 104 random drug tests during their first year in a state-run recovery program, and at least 50 random tests annually after that.
Require licensing boards to disclose publicly that a healthcare worker has an inactive license, limited work hours or increased supervision, without saying directly that the person is in recovery for substance abuse.
The state's tougher stance on drug abusers in the healthcare sector is being praised by some as an important step toward protecting the public from potentially dangerous practitioners. But Ellen Brickman, president of the National Organization of Alternative Programs, tells ProPublica she believes this move could actually make the problem worse by deterring abusers from seeking help.
Irene Tsikitas
