The Arizona Medical Board in 2022 removed questions that physicians seeking licensure were required to answer about past mental health treatment.
Now Arizona lawmakers have taken those changes a big step further. Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this spring signed House Bill 2173 into law, which even more solidly entrenches the 2022 changes by putting them into state statute rather than just being part of a regulatory change.
And, even more significantly, the new law says that all professional regulatory boards and licensing authorities in Arizona are barred from asking whether applicants have “sought mental health assistance or received a mental health diagnosis.” It covers everything from boards for health professionals, such as nurses, to professionals outside of health care such as contractors.
The bill also creates confidentiality protections if an applicant to any of these boards is enrolled in a monitoring program.
The Arizona Medical Association (ArMA), Arizona Psychiatric Society and the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association strongly supported the bill. Members from the organizations testified before the legislature about the positive impacts they have seen since 2022 and attested that they haven’t seen the negative outcomes that some feared might come about with the change. The AMA also supported HB 2173 as part of its national efforts to support removing stigmatizing questions from licensing and credentialing applications.
“I’ve received feedback from physicians both on social media and at in-person events in Arizona ... they feel more free to go seek therapy or medication knowing that they don’t have to answer these questions,” said Tucson, Arizona, psychiatrist Jasleen Chhatwal, MD, who championed the bill. She is a member of the ArMA’s public health committee and a past president of the Arizona Psychiatric Society.
The ArMA testified that the “bill is an essential step toward removing the stigma that often prevents Arizona’s physicians and other health care professionals from receiving timely mental health care.”
Dr. Chhatwal agrees.
“We want to consider mental health the same as any other health condition. We are not specifically inquiring about or wanting to know about other health conditions. So, having equity between mental and physical health is really important for us to get to a place where mental health care is health care. It shouldn’t be treated any differently,” she said.
Learn more with this AMA issue brief on the campaign to support the health and well-being of medical students, residents and physicians (PDF).
Reducing roadblocks nationwide
There is a nationwide movement toward removing barriers that impede health care professionals from seeking the mental health care they need
ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare—a national coalition that the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation leads and that the AMA is a member of—is working to eliminate these roadblocks.
As of late May, 50 licensure boards and 635 hospitals had eliminated intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language from their licensing or credentialing applications, according to the coalition’s Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program. Those changes benefit nearly 1.4 million licensed health workers and 274,000 credentialed health workers.
Among the nation’s state medical boards, 37 have been recognized as Wellbeing First Champions, benefiting more than 880,000 physicians. In addition, 635 hospitals, about 10% of the nation’s nearly 6,100 hospitals, are recognized as Wellbeing First Champions. That number includes hospitals from 38 states and the District of Columbia and marks a 15% increase from just three months earlier.
“Addressing the root causes of burnout and removing barriers to care are essential to maintaining a healthy workforce and strengthening the entire health care system,” according to Bruce A. Scott, MD, now the AMA’s immediate past president. “We applaud the organizations that have already made these important changes and we urge all licensing boards and hospitals to eliminate stigmatizing questions from licensing and credentialing forms. Prioritizing the well-being of our nation’s health care workforce must be recognized as a fundamental part of delivering high-quality care to patients.”
Where the AMA stands
The AMA wants to ensure that physicians are practicing safely, and it also wants to ensure physicians are well and don’t fear getting treatment for themselves if they are unwell.
The AMA believes if there is a current impairment, that should be disclosed. The AMA is focused on removing stigmatizing and inappropriate questions on physician licensing and credentialing applications and anywhere else a physician is asked to answer the questions of whether they have ever received treatment for a mental health issue. The AMA also is focused on ensuring that when changes are made, that they are implemented and that physicians know about the shift.
A recent AMA webinar examines how states are taking up key health care issues such as physician well-being.
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