Washington state has revised its physician credentialing application for the second time in five years to further reduce stigma around mental and behavioral healthcare, a driver of suicide in the healthcare workforce, the American Medical Association reported in a Jan. 26 article on its website.
Changes made in 2026 to the Washington Practitioner Application adjust the language used in questions about physicians’ health. The revised application focuses only on current conditions that may impair judgment or safe practice, rather than asking about past mental health or substance use treatment.
One of the questions now asks: “Are you currently suffering from any condition that impairs your judgement or that would otherwise adversely affect your ability to practice medicine in a competent, ethical, and professional manner?”
The updates follow a 2023 revision that eliminated questions about past care and were supported by organizations including the AMA and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. Christopher Bundy, MD, executive medical director of the Washington Physicians Health Program, said the changes make it easier to reassure physicians that seeking care will not harm their careers.
By September, more than 40 medical boards and over 1,800 health systems, hospitals, clinics and other organizations had certified their credentialing processes were free of stigmatizing language — up from just 19 medical boards and a few dozen hospitals in 2022. More than 1 million licensed health professionals could benefit from reforms, according to the AMA.
This has been a longtime concern for behavioral health leaders.
“Questions like, ‘Have you ever been treated for a psychiatric or substance use disorder?’ Well, yes, when my mother had major dementia and Alzheimer’s, I was her sole caregiver,” Rebecca Chickey, senior director of behavioral health clinical affairs and workforce at the American Hospital Association, told Becker’s. “I [sought] therapy because that was a lot when you also had two young kids. But that answer alone, for a physician, could mean that their whole future in practicing medicine is gone.”
While the personal toll is severe, the financial cost is also significant for health systems. Ms. Chickey noted that replacing a physician can cost about $500,000, and replacing a nurse costs $88,000 to $100,000.
