Anesthesiologists returning to work after substance abuse treatment.

To the Editor:—We read with interest the review article Addiction and Substance Abuse in Anesthesiology by Bryson and Silverstein and the companion editorial by Berge et al. While the former is an excellent overview, the authors inaccurately state that “outcomes have not appreciably changed” for anesthesiologists treated for substance abuse and the emergent role of state Physician Health Programs (PHPs), and their documented achievements in this regard are not adequately emphasized. The subsequent editorial then mentions patient harm, ignoring literature to the contrary, and jumps to the unwarranted policy recommendation of “one strike, you’re out.” * See Web site of the Federation of State Medical Boards at http://www. fsmb.org/pdf/1995_grpol_Physician_Impairment.pdf. Accessed April 8, 2009. 1422 CORRESPONDENCE