FORUM: Loss of diversion program will hurt

By Jim Fent - Program manager for A Better Tomorrow in Murrieta | Tuesday, May 13, 2008 10:37 PM PDT ∞

Apparently, the California Medical Board has better things to do than protect patients from doctors with drug or alcohol addictions.

On June 30, the board will terminate its Physician Diversion Monitoring Program, a little-known program that quietly provides doctors with substance abuse treatment. The program is intended to allow doctors to continue practicing medicine in exchange for voluntarily receiving treatment for their addictions.

The state is ending the program because it's not convinced it effectively protects the public from doctors with drug or alcohol addictions. Some argue that doctors with drug or alcohol addictions shouldn't be practicing at all. But without such a program, there is no incentive for doctors to seek treatment for their addictions, let alone be monitored for drug or alcohol abuse.

A study by the Federation of State Physician Health Programs found that 1 percent of all practicing physicians in the United States are in confidential treatment programs like the one that's about to be shut down in California. There are about 200 to 400 doctors participating in California's physician diversion program on any given day, according to published reports.

Doctors themselves recognize the importance of diversion programs. The California Medical Association, the advocacy group for doctors statewide, is fighting to keep the program going.

Unfortunately, it appears that the California Medical Board does not consider getting doctors into drug or alcohol treatment to be a priority.

The federal government and private insurers are equally comfortable pretending that drug and alcohol addiction is not a serious public health issue, even though nearly one in 10 Americans has a family member who suffers from a drug or alcohol addiction, according to federal statistics.

The federal agency that provides grant funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers across the country, has faced numerous budget cuts in recent years.

Meanwhile, insurance companies are increasingly looking for ways to avoid paying for drug and alcohol addiction treatment. While some insurers provide addiction treatment as part of their mental health coverage, many are reducing the amount of coverage they provide, thereby shifting more and more of the financial burden on to their members.

Addiction treatment isn't cheap. Four-week treatment programs at a private residential facility can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 to $60,000 or more. As a result, the availability of insurance coverage is often the deciding factor that determines whether people can get help for their addictions.

A 2006 survey by the federal agency found that 45 percent of addicts were unable to afford treatment for their addictions. This means that nearly half of the nation's drug and alcohol addicts can't get the treatment they need even if they want to become clean and become productive members of society.

Congress is considering legislation that would require insurance companies to cover mental health and substance abuse treatment to the same extent that they cover other medical and surgical treatment. One can only hope that legislation gets approved.

Congress, federal and state governments and insurance companies all need to be dedicating more financial resources than they have thus far to fight the epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction that is sweeping this country.

Jim Fent is program manager for A Better Tomorrow in Murrieta.