CBS: Doctors Resist New Painkiller Prescribing Procedures

Gary Mendell, CEO of the non-profit Shatterproof, is helping the administration’s effort by lobbying in state capitals to tighten the prescribing standards for addictive drugs, “Their role is to say what needs to be done, my role is to get it done,” he told CBS.

Founded in 2011, after his son committed suicide (due to years of addiction to painkillers), Mendell has invested $4.1 million of his own money into Shatterproof; hiring lobbyists, public relations experts, and 12 full-time staffers. And in a recent report, the non-profit has laid out some key recommendations to improve the prescription monitoring systems currently used in 49 states.

The new system collects data on prescriptions for high-risk drugs which can then be viewed by doctors and government officials in order to spot “suspicious” patterns. The goal is to stop patients from “doctor shopping”, the process of racking up multiple prescriptions from different doctors, because currently most states don’t require physicians to check before writing prescriptions.

At this point, the White House has sent letters to all 50 U.S. governors, “recommending that they require doctors to check the databases and require pharmacists to upload drug dispensing data on a daily basis.” The National Drug Control Policy Director feels the databases are a proven tool for reducing problems surrounding prescription drugs.

But, physicians aren’t happy about forcing doctors to use programs that can be slow and difficult to use; Dr. Steven Sacks, president of the American Medical Association, warns that patients might face longer wait times and even less time with their physicians. He feels that patient safety and quality of care will suffer. And pain specialists are afraid that requiring the databases will discourage doctors from prescribing the drugs even when appropriate, thereby leaving patients in pain.

The article from CBS says that the report from Shatterproof shows, “…in seven states that have mandated database usage: Kentucky, New York, Tennessee, Connecticut, Ohio, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. In Kentucky, deaths linked to prescription opioids fell 25 percent after the state required log-ins in 2012, along with other steps designed to curb inappropriate prescribing.” It also pointed out that when doctors aren’t required to log in, they only do about 14 percent of the time and that’s what the program hopes to end.

If doctors can prevent addiction, doctor shopping, or deadly drug interactions, then the program is worth a shot. If nothing else, it should be a spotlight for doctors on just how much they prescribe meds. And who knows, maybe that will cause even just a small percentage of them to look to other methods of pain management (like perhaps turmeric).

Can you smell it? There may be a change in the air…it never hurts to have hope.

Source: CBS