Massachusetts has become the first state in the country to have each of its hospital, health system and local health plans commit to eliminating questions about clinicians' mental health history or past drug use in the credentialing process.
The move to remove "potentially stigmatizing or invasive" questions was made to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in the healthcare field and connect workers with needed resources, according to a Dec. 11 news release from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.
The effort was approved unanimously by the association's board of trustees and was supported by the Massachusetts Medical Society along with local health plans, which each have their own credentialing forms for clinicians.
Meanwhile, the National Committee for Quality Assurance — the organization responsible for accrediting health plans across the country — is no longer requiring plans to ask clinicians about prior drug use.