​While it is widely reported that physicians’ mental health is worsening, barriers to seeking mental health care remain unacceptably high.

In the spring and summer of 2021, representatives from the IHI Leadership Alliance collaborated to identify opportunities for collective and longitudinal action to eliminate physician credentialing- and licensing-related impediments to seeking mental health care. The Help Health Care Heal Coalition is a special interest Call to Action initiative hosted by the IHI Leadership Alliance that was created to collaboratively advance this work.

Remove Barriers to Physicians Seeking Mental Health Care

In January 2022, Modern Healthcare published an article, "The connection between credentialing and physician mental health: a call to action," co-authored by Dr. Eileen Barrett, who serves as faculty for the IHI Leadership Alliance. While health care leaders continue to commend the ways in which physicians and the entire health care workforce have compassionately cared for the sick during the COVID-19 pandemic, below are five concrete actions leaders can take today to support physicians as they continue this vital work.

• Determine how your organization asks questions related to physician mental health on credentialing applications.
• Identify how your state medical board presently asks questions related to physician mental health on licensing applications.
• Advocate for the recommended non-stigmatizing questions and supportive language to be used among healthcare organizations, state medical boards and insurers.
• Identify and mitigate barriers to physicians seeking mental health care.
• Encourage investments in evidence-based research and interventions that promote and protect physician mental health.
  

Spread This Work in Your Organization

The Coalition has developed a set of slides and talking points that you can use to spread this work in your organization and eliminate barriers to physicians and residents seeking mental health care.

IHI H3 coalition slides.pptx

Talking points when asking an organization to support physicians.pdf

Send this email to your privileging or credentialing office to request changing your application.docx

Helping Healthcare Heal Coalition references and resources.pdf

Join the Help Health Care Heal Coalition

In January 2022, the IHI Leadership Alliance hosted an open virtual meeting to discuss the elimination of stigmatizing questions on physician licensure and credentialing applications. [Watch a recording of the meeting.]

We believe that eliminating these questions in every state and care setting is well within reach. Will you join us?

The Help Health Care Heal Coalition meets virtually for 60 minutes each month to share, learn, and collaborate in ways that accelerate our individual and collective efforts. All are welcome to participate; you do not need to be an IHI Leadership Alliance member.

To join forthcoming virtual meetings of the Help Health Care Heal Coalition, please indicate your interest by completing this form. The IHI team will follow up with connection information and any related materials.