New York Substance Abuse Lawyer

Representing Medical Professionals Facing License Issues

If you realize you have a substance abuse issue, do something about it. The reason is, if there’s a complaint registered against you and OPMC or OPD come to interview you, you might end up losing your license right there, rather on an emergency basis. If they feel you are impaired because of a substance abuse issue, they do not want you treating patients at all. If you realize you have the problem, you go to the Committee on Physicians Health. This is set up by the New York State Medical Board, and they will help you get into a program and get into rehabilitation, and try to get you on your way to be free of your substance abuse.

The real importance of this is that if you are in the program for several months, half a year, ten months, whatever, and then OPMC or OPD find out that you did have a substance problem, they probably will not stop you from practicing. The reason is, they know you are now being tested randomly for drugs, maybe three or four times a month, and they know you are under therapy from the Committee on Physician’s Health.

This is really important, because if you can stay in practice, your life is so much better, even if it’s monitored by the urine screens. If you get taken out of practice, you are then going to be out of practice for a least a year and a half, maybe two years, earning no money at all. They want to put you into a rehab program, but they want to take you out of practice. There is a vast difference between these two things. If you recognize you have this problem, get treatment now. Go talk to someone who knows what they’re talking about in this area.