8.3.2010
Increased Scrutiny of Medical Providers — A Cause for Reflection and Diligence
Nationwide we are witnessing increased scrutiny of healthcare providers who prescribe controlled substances, especially those involved in pain management practices. Physicians are being scrutinized to make sure they are prescribing responsibly, documenting appropriately, and not personally abusing or diverting controlled substances.
Medical journals note this scrutiny and offer a variety of explanations. On one end of the spectrum are those who believe that going after physicians and healthcare facilities with increased fervor is simply the government’s way of funding our increasingly unaffordable healthcare system. At the other end are practitioners who believe that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and state regulators are simply opposed to dispensing addictive and powerful opioids as a means of treating pain.
This article first appeared in The Pain Practitioner.