Two physicians have filed a lawsuit against the Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP), a nonprofit contracted with UW Medicine, alleging that the organization subjected them to “unneeded and irrelevant” tests and left them to pay high costs when insurers refused to cover the procedures. Dr. Temi Ogunleye and another physician, known as Gray, claim they were misdiagnosed and humiliated by a program designed to support physicians’ mental health but which they characterize as operating more like a monitoring and punishment system.
The Ogunleye Case
Ogunleye, a 33-year-old orthopedic resident from Nigeria, was referred to WPHP in his second year after oversleeping and arriving late to work a few times. Despite no previous concerns about substance use, he was sent for a drug and alcohol test and underwent a three-day neurological exam. The lawsuit alleges the results contained several errors including wrong date of birth, age, and hand dominance, along with an incorrect diagnosis. When Ogunleye raised these inaccuracies, a provider “doubled down” and ordered an MRI scan, which his insurer didn’t cover. The MRI returned clean, but WPHP still wouldn’t clear him. He described the experience as “gaslighting at its finest.” After eight months on leave, a second WPHP-affiliated provider found the previous results incorrect and determined he was fit to work, but Ogunleye ultimately left his residency.
The Gray Case and Legal Outcome
Gray, an OB-GYN resident, was also referred to WPHP despite no substance abuse history. Though previously diagnosed with ADHD, WPHP questioned her diagnosis when her ADHD medication flagged on a drug test. She was ordered through days of virtual cognitive evaluations that found nothing concerning. She was then told she had an “unspecified neurocognitive disorder” and was recommended to stop seeing patients, undergo brain imaging, and start trauma therapy. When she reviewed her test results, she found them “riddled with errors,” including a reference to past trauma from her brother’s suicide attempt—an incident that did not happen. Despite bringing these inaccuracies to WPHP, providers called it a “copy/paste error” and stood by their recommendations. A second neuropsychologist concluded WPHP had made several mistakes leading to misdiagnosis. After being told she needed to pay a $350 fee for a clearance letter before she could practice, she was suspended and ultimately terminated from her residency in February 2025. An internal UW review committee unanimously ruled her dismissal “arbitrary and capricious,” but the dean upheld the termination.
Program Response and Immunity Question
King County Superior Court Judge Haydee Vargas granted WPHP’s motion to dismiss the complaint, citing a 40-year-old state law that shields voluntary substance abuse monitoring programs from civil suits based on “official acts.” WPHP said in a statement that it is “recognized as a leader among physician health programs nationally.” The organization noted that “nearly half of WPHP graduates describe the program as ‘lifesaving,’” but the lawsuit raises questions about accountability for an organization that hundreds of health professionals in Washington are referred to every year.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: http://www.chronline.com/stories/physicians-say-uw-mental-health-group-for-doctors-harmed-rather-than-helped,403599