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LEE H. BEECHER, MD, DLFAPA, FASAM

Education and Training
Psychiatric Residency:  University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics (1966-69) * General
Rotating Internship:  Hennepin County Medical Center (1965-66) * M.D. University of Minnesota Medical School (1965) * B.A.:  (Biology) Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota (1961)
 

Past Hospital Staff Appointments
Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina, Minnesota (1990-99) * Fairview Riverside Hospital, Minneapolis, MN (1984-1990) * Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park, MN (1972-1999) * Metropolitan Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN (1972-1984)
 

Military
U.S. Naval Reserve, Lt. Commander, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1969-1972)
 

Licenses and Credentials
Minnesota Medical License; State of Minnesota (1966)
Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology 1971
ABPN Special Certification in Addiction Psychiatr
 

Academics & Administrative Appointments
Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota (February 2006-2015) * Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota (1997-2006) * Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry, U of M (1972-1977) * Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family Practice and Community Medicine, U of M (1972-1980)
 

Medical Directorships and Consulting Positions
Associate Medical Director for Mental and Substance-Related Disorders, PreferredOne, Minneapolis (PPO) (1991-96) * Medical Director for Psychiatric Services, St. Mary's Hospital, Minneapolis, MN (1984-86) * Consultant, Creative Living Center, Minneapolis, MN (Day Hospital Program) (1990-98) * Community Family Counseling (Rule 29 - Multidisciplinary Mental Health), Minnetonka, MN (1991-94)
 

Professional Association Activities
Minnesota Psychiatric Society (MPS): President (1987-89); Legislative Representative, MPS (1971-1991); APA Assembly Representative (Minnesota) (1979-1988); Chair, MPS Committee on Addiction Psychiatry (1996-1999)
 

American Psychiatric Association (APA); Member (1969-Present); Fellow (1981), Distinguished Life Fellow (2003), Work Group on Medicare RBRVS (1985-1991); Committee on Quality Assurance (Consultant) (1993-95); Area IV Legislative Leader-Upper Midwest (1979-1991); Consultant, APA Joint Commission on Government Relations (1998).

American Medical Association; Member (1972-2010); Minnesota Medical Association Committee on Legislation (1982-2005, Vice Chair 1999); American Medical Association/Harvard University Relative Value Scale on Physician Reimbursement (1986-1991); Minnesota Medical Association House of Delegates (Hennepin County Medical Society, Twin Cities Medical Society) (1998-2013); West Metro Trustee of the Board of Directors-MMA (1999-2005)
 

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM); Certified by Examination (1995); Appointed to Fellowship (1999)
 

Community Activities/Editorial Boards
Governor's Commission on Mental Health, State of Minnesota (1985-87); Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health (1987-1991); Board of Directors, Minnesota branch-National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (1982-1991); Peer Reviewer, Psychiatric Services (1987-Present); Editorial Advisory Board, Clinical Psychiatry News (1993-Present); Television:  The Mary Hanson Show, Metro Cable Network (1996-2005; 16 shows); Mental Health and Managed Care, Psychiatric Q & A, Depression, Anxiety Disorders I and II, Ethics and Managed Care, Suicide Prevention; The Therapist- Patient Relationship, Mental Health Insurance Coverage 2002, Healthcare Financing 2005, Minnesota Physician-Patient Alliance, President (1999-2020) and Emeritus Registered Physician (2020-present, website www.physician-patient.org., Editorial Board, MetroDoctors, Journal of the Twin Cities Medical Society (Oct. 2006-2014)
"The Role of Physicians in Prescription Opioid Abuse, Addiction and Diversion:  A Candid Conversation -- Seminar, (May 2, 2013)

Awards & Honors
Medical School: James E. Moore Honor Medical Society (1964); Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Minnesota Outstanding Provider Award (1991); Minnesota Psychiatric Society Private Practitioner of the Year Award (1999); Top 100 Minnesota Health Care Leaders-Minnesota Physician (2000, 2004, 2012), Selected a TOP DOCTOR in the Mpls St. Paul Magazine, January 2007; Selected as the First Recipient of "First A Physician" Award for Exemplary Professional Leadership in Medicine by the Hennepin Medical Society, Oct. 2007
 

Sample Publications:
Drug Abuse Out in the Open, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings (September 1971) (Survey on Drug Use of 4,000 Naval Personnel)
 

Explaining Miracles, Faith Healing:  Finger of God or Scientific Curiosity?  Thomas Nelson, Inc. (1973)
 

A Political Analysis of Minnesota Psychiatrists and Their Methods of Reimbursement, Minnesota Medicine, Vol. 64, June 1981
 

State's Mental Health System Relies Too Heavily on Institutions, Minneapolis Star Tribune Counterpoint, December 23, 1989
 

The Minnesota Mental Health System:  Prescription for Change, Minnesota Physician, Vol. 3, No. 11, February 1990
 

Mental Health/Substance Abuse:  The Need for Better Protocols, Minnesota Physician, September 1992
 

Don't Let Managed Care Cost-Cutting Carve Out Psychiatry, Minnesota Medicine, Vol. 79, June 1996
 

Flying Solo - What Does the Future Hold for Psychiatrists in Private Practice?, Minnesota Physician, Vol. 11, No. 6, September 1997
 

Behavioral Health Care Benefits, Minnesota's Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 5, No. 1, First Quarter 1998
 

Minnesota Physician, Ninth Minnesota Health Care Roundtable, Panelist, May 27, 1999
 

Medical Necessity Rationing Psychiatric Services, by R. Paul Olson, PhD and Lee Beecher, M.D., Minnesota Physician, Vol. XIII, No. 6, September 1999
 

Bridging the Parity Gap, Clinical Psychiatry news, Vol. 26, No. 12, December 1998, Pages 20-21
 

Guest Editorial - The Great Divide, Clinical Psychiatry News, Vol. 28, No. 3, March 2000, Page 9
 

Doctor, Who Will help Me?, MetroDoctors, The Journal of the Hennepin and Ramsey Medical Societies, May/June 2001, Page 3
 

MPPA Report:  How health Plans Influence Quality of Care and Patient Privacy, MetroDoctors, The Journal of the Hennepin and Ramsey Medical Societies, May/June 2001
 

Leveling the Playing Field, Minnesota Physician, December 2001, Volume XV, No. 9 Guest Editor:  Metro Doctors Issue on Mental Health, May/June 2002
 

Fair's Fair, Patients, Physicians and the Legislature Take on Contracting Legislation, Minnesota Physician, January 2003, Volume XVI, No. 10
 

Medications for Depression, A Consumer Guide, Minnesota Healthcare News, July 2004, Volume 2, No. 7
 

Management of Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium, Arch Intern. Med./Volume 164, July 12, 2004, Pages 1405-1412.  Michael F. Mayo-Smith, MD, MPH; Lee H. Beecher, MD; Timothy L. Fischer, DO; David A. Gorelick, MD, PhD; Jeanette l. Guillaume, MA; Arnold Hill, MD; Gail Jara, BA; Chris Kasser, MD; John Melbourne, MD

Prescribing Antidepressants - A Guide for health Care Professionals, Minnesota Physician, September 2004, Volume XVIII, No. 6.

Doctor-Patient Boundaries, Road Rules and Red Flags, Minnesota Health Care News, February 2005, Volume 3, Number 2, pages 28-30.

Sexual Boundary Violations, The Conduct, the Code, and the Consequences, Minnesota Medicine, June 2005, pages 42-44.  Steven Altchuler, MD, PhD (Second Author)

Role Reversal, When the Doctor Becomes a Patient, Minnesota Physician, November 2005, Volume XIX, No. 8.

Colleague Interview, MetroDoctors, The Journal of the Hennepin and Ramsey Medical Societies, March/April 2006, pages 7-9.

Switching to a Cash Medical Practice; Minnesota Physician, November 2006, Clinical Psychiatry News, February 2007.

Opting Out of Insurance Provider Agreements, MetroDoctors, May/June 2007, pages 21-22.

The Value Conversation (Engaging patients and physicians), Minnesota Physician, March 2008, Volume XXI, No. 12.

The Goldilocks Proposition, Minnesota Physician, October 2009, Volume XXIII, No. 7., Reprinted in Clinical Psychiatry News, Vol. 38, No. 10, October 2010.
 

Promoting Wellness and Well-being, MetroDoctors, July/August 2011, page 5.
 

What is Health and How are We Measuring It?  Interview With:, MetroDoctors, Sept./Oct. 2011, pg. 19.
 

Bringing Psychiatric Services into Mainstream Medicine, MetroDoctors, Nov./December 2011, pg. 5.
 

Access to Psychiatrists, MetroDoctors, Jan./February 2012, pg. 23.
 

Treating Drug and Alcohol Addictions (Diagnosis, medications--and the physician's role), Minnesota Physician, Vol. XXVII, No. 7, October 2012, pg. 22.

The Patient - Honoring Choices (with Dave Racer) 

https://issuu.com/metrodoctors/docs/265888.md_nov-dec_2015  MetroDoctors - November-December 2015)

March 2016 Health Care News article on antidepressants https://issuu.com/mppub/docs/mn_healthcare_news_mar_2016/2

Minnesota Physician Roundtable participant - April 2016 - published in July 2016 https://issuu.com/mppub/docs/07_mn_physician_july_2016)   
 

https://www.doximity.com/pub/lee-beecher-md?show_more=true#publications

Research Interests
Physician-patient relationship. Funding for psychiatric services. Dr./Professional--Patient Boundaries.  Patient-centered psychotherapies. Suboxone maintenance in outpatient practice.  Health care funding reform. Measuring health care quality (patient and family perspective).y 1994, (Re certified 2009)
American Society of Addiction Medicine Certified 1995 (ASAM Fellow1998); Distinguished Life Fellow American Psychiatric Association (2003). Re-certification in Addiction Psychiatry by ABPN (2009)