National Standards?

http://www.omicsonline.com/open-access/state-physician-health-programs-require-national-standards-and-externaloversight-2378-5756-1000346.php?aid=65807

Although this is specifically referring to physician monitoring programs, I think this speaks to issues that are quite relevant to nurse monitoring programs (and State Boards of Nursing, for that matter).

The initial formation of the monitoring programs and their subsequent relationships with the regulatory agencies may have been altruistic and have in fact saved the lives and careers of many healthcare professionals. But what concerns me is the fact that there is little to no oversight of either these programs and the relationships they have with the regulatory agencies.

Not to mention the regulatory agencies themselves, but that's another topic (see Can a Nurse Be Disciplined in Every State), that also points to problematic policies that unnecessarily and punitively punish nurses. I am unsure if this is true for physicians, but it probably wouldn't be difficult to find out.

To conclude, I am posting this to let those here know we aren't the only ones that question these rather icky potential conflicts of interest.

state-physician-health-programs-require-national-standards-and-externaloversight-2378-5756-10003.pdf