Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LICENSING › Chapter 246-922 - Podiatric physicians and surgeons › Section 246-922-405 - Definitions used relative to monitoring of applicable impairing health conditions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
The definitions in this section apply throughout WAC
				  246-922-400 through
				  246-922-415 unless the context
				  clearly requires otherwise.
(1)
				"Aftercare" and "continuing care" means that period of time after intensive
				treatment that provides the podiatric physician and the podiatric physician's
				family with group, or individualized counseling sessions, discussions with
				other families, ongoing contact and participation in self-help groups, and
				ongoing continued support of treatment program staff.
(2) "Contract" is a comprehensive, structured
				agreement between the recovering podiatric physician and the monitoring program
				wherein the podiatric physician consents to comply with the monitoring program
				and the required components for the podiatric physician's recovery
				activity.
(3) "Drug" means a
				chemical substance alone or in combination with other drugs, including
				alcohol.
(4) "Impaired podiatric
				physician" means a podiatric physician and surgeon who is unable to practice
				podiatric medicine and surgery with judgment, skill, competence, or safety due
				to an impairing health condition.
(5) "Impairing health condition" means a
				mental or physical health condition that impairs or potentially impairs the
				podiatric physician's ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety
				which may include a substance use disorder characterized by the inappropriate
				use of either alcohol or other drugs, or both to a degree that such use
				interferes in the functional life of the licensee, as manifested by personal,
				family, physical, emotional, occupational (professional services), legal, or
				spiritual problems.
(6) "Monitoring
				program" means an approved voluntary substance use disorder monitoring program
				or physician health monitoring program that the board has determined meets the
				requirements of the law and rules established by the board according to the
				Washington Administrative Code which enters into a contract with podiatric
				physicians who have an impairing health condition. The monitoring program
				oversees compliance of the podiatric physician's recovery activities as
				required by the board. Monitoring programs may provide either evaluation or
				treatment, or both to participating podiatric physicians.
(7) "Podiatric physician support group" is a
				group of either podiatric physicians or other health care professionals, or
				both meeting regularly to support the recovery of its members. The group
				provides a confidential setting with a trained and experienced facilitator in
				which participants may safely discuss drug diversion, licensure issues, return
				to work, and other professional issues related to recovery.
(8) "Random drug screens" are laboratory
				tests to detect the presence of drugs of abuse or dependency in body fluids
				which are performed at irregular intervals not known in advance by the person
				to be tested. The collection of the body fluids must be observed by a treatment
				or health care professional or other board or monitoring program-approved
				observer.
(9) "Recovering" means
				that a podiatric physician with an impairing health condition is in compliance
				with a treatment plan of rehabilitation in accordance with criteria established
				by the monitoring program.
(10)
				"Rehabilitation" means the process of restoring a podiatric physician with an
				impairing health condition to a level of professional performance consistent
				with public health and safety.
(11)
				"Reinstatement" means the process whereby a recovering podiatric physician is
				permitted to resume the practice of podiatric medicine and surgery.
(12) "Treatment facility" means a facility
				recognized as such according to
				RCW
				18.130.175(1).
(13) "Twelve-step groups" are groups such as
				Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and related organizations based on a
				philosophy of anonymity, belief in a power greater than oneself, peer group
				association, and self-help.
Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					 18.22.015 and
					 chapter
					 18.22 RCW. 94-14-082,
					 § 246-922-405, filed 7/5/94, effective
					 8/5/94.