Our Services

What We Do

The Texas Physician Health Program (TXPHP) provides confidential early intervention, assessment, treatment referral and post-treatment monitoring for health professionals who may not be able to practice safely due to an impairing or potentially impairing health condition.

What is Impairment

An applicant, healthcare provider, or physician licensee who is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety to patients because of physical or mental illness, including deterioration through the aging process or loss of motor skill, or excessive use of drugs including alcohol.

  • Substance use disorders
  • Psychiatric illness
  • Disruptive behavior
  • Physical and cognitive impairment

What a PHP Does

The essential function of a PHP is to enhance public safety by promoting health, and to provide a therapeutic alternative in lieu of discipline. A PHP accomplishes this thorough case management, monitoring, and documentation which allow a PHP to provide verification of compliance (when appropriate) to regulatory agencies, employers, and the public.

There are three main pathways to the TXPHP:

Applicants or Licensees (Self-report)

The TXPHP encourages and accepts self-reports. All self-reports are kept strictly confidential.

Why self-report? Potentially impairing conditions are common. Early reporting and adequate monitoring can:

  • improve wellness
  • decrease the risk of future disciplinary action
  • decrease malpractice claims

Self-reports are confidential and reporting does not obligate a licensee to enroll in monitoring.

Third Party Referrals

We also accept referrals from hospitals, employers, staff, colleagues, family and friends. All referrals are kept strictly confidential. If you suspect possible impairment of a licensee, or you have concerns for their safety or the safety of their patients, please do not hesitate to refer them or contact us for more information.

Healthcare Organizations

TXPHP can work with healthcare organizations to resolve concerns regarding impairment or disruptive behavior in the workplace. As a healthcare employer, you must report to the Texas Medical Board licensed healthcare professionals (physicians, physician assistants, acupuncturists, respiratory care practitioners, perfusionists, medical radiologic technologists, non-certified technicians, or medical physicists) whose practice represents a continuing threat to the public welfare. (Occupation Code Sec. 160.003)

As long as there is not a continuing threat to the public welfare, you can make a referral to the TXPHP in lieu of a report to the Texas Medical Board, about concerns that a healthcare professional’s possible impairment connected to a health condition, physical or mental, that might affect their ability to practice with reasonable safety to patients. You can call TXPHP at any time to discuss concerns about whether a referral is appropriate. If consented to by a participating employee, healthcare employers can enjoy the reassurance that the employee recovering from a potentially impairing illnesses is actively monitored by TXPHP. With the consent of the participant, TXPHP can provide letters of compliance on a quarterly basis.

Concerned Healthcare Professionals

Healthcare professionals are often hesitant to seek help for their colleagues or themselves. Early detection and evaluation promote the best opportunity for a successful outcome. TXPHP provides services that include outreach, informal assessment, monitoring, and support for healthcare professionals Physicians,
physician assistants,
acupuncturists,
respiratory care practitioners,
perfusionists,
medical radiologic technologists,
non-certified technicians,
or medical physicists regulated by the Texas Medical Board and its advisory boards. One of the last places the effects of a substance use or other disorder shows up is at work. Incidents of patient harm, sexual misconduct, or continuing threat to the public welfare must be reported directly to the Texas Medical Board.

Family and Friends

Dealing with a family member or friend that has a substance use, mental health, or potentially impairing physical disorder can be difficult. It can be challenging to express concern, and difficult if someone you care about does not want help. You can make a referral to the TXPHP. The referral is confidential – the person you refer is not informed and the TMB is not informed. TXPHP will reach out to any licensee that is referred and make an effort to engage them in a conversation and when possible and appropriate an intake interview. In addition to making the referral, please visit our resources pages for links to Al-Anon and other services.

Texas Medical Board Reporting Requirements

  • Continuing threat to the public welfare through practice by healthcare professionals
  • You must report this. Failure to report may be a violation of the law.
  • Actions or failure to act connected to an impairment that rises to a level threatening patient safety
    • Ex. Practicing medicine while intoxicated, harming a patient due to medical incompetence, sexual misconduct or sexual assault of a patient, sexual contact with a minor

Texas Medical Board

Some complaints that deal solely with issues of physical or mental impairment may be referred by Medical Board staff to the TXPHP. This may occur at any point during the investigative process.