opinion

Physician efforts needed to curb addictive prescription drugs

LETTER — Posted April 16, 2012

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Regarding “Medicare plan to stop drug abuse could hurt patients, AMA says” (Article, March 9): During the last six years while counseling men in rehab, I have noticed the favorite drug has changed from street drugs to prescriptions of oxycodone, etc. This is likely why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued plans to use their database to restrict dispensing of addictive drugs.

Until the AMA or another organization can influence physicians to prescribe fewer and less often, we need CMS to restrict dispensing of addictive drugs.

My opinion is that most people who are addicted and who commit the most crimes are not covered by CMS so that we need a national database for all addictive drugs which follows the patient and the prescribing physician. Men in rehab often wish their physician had not permitted them to purchase so many drugs so often.

Harold Vann, MD, Clarksville, Tenn.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/04/16/edlt0416.htm.

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