House Bill 2429, a law sponsored by the Arizona Medical Association that offers counseling and wellness options for physicians, took effect this fall in Arizona after receiving nearly unanimous legislative support, according to an Oct. 7 report from the American Medical Association.
The bill allows the medical society to run a confidential support group for physicians that offers counseling and evaluations without the fear of being subject to subpoena or discovery based on information shared in the meetings.
Confidentiality would go away in the case of a criminal charge, criminal action or unprofessional or unsafe conduct.
Emergency physician Amish Shah, MD, represents Phoenix's 24th district and strongly advocated for the bill's passage.
"Over the last couple of years, all of our health care workers have been put under tremendous strain. We were asked to work more hours, cover more hours than we normally would, and you could see the toll it took on people," Dr. Shah told the AMA. "A lot of time[s], you don’t have a place to turn to, so when the Arizona Medical Association said they were in support of a bill where you turn to colleagues for support, I said, that is absolutely perfect."