NACDS letter offers Administration, Congress 4 policy solutions to curb opioid abuse

NACDS letter offers Administration, Congress 4 policy solutions to curb opioid abuse

http://www.drugstorenews.com/article/nacds-letter-offers-administration-congress–policy-solutions-curb-opioid-abuse

ARLINGTON, Va. — With President Donald Trump set to declare a national opioid emergency this week, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores has suggested four public policy initiatives to the Administration and members of Congress. The suggestions, outlined in a letter sent Tuesday, are aimed at building on current collaborative efforts to stem opioid abuse while maintaining high-quality patient care, NACDS said.

“These four integrated public policy strategies would further reduce the volume of unneeded and unused opioid medications entering the public domain, and reduce the chances that they fall into the wrong hands – while taking into account the needs of those most severely affected by chronic pain as a result of cancer and other serious illnesses,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson said. “The fact that these public policy proposals are gaining traction among those in the healthcare and enforcement communities reflects that much-needed consensus may be starting to build for additional and sound approaches to this epidemic.”

Among the suggestions is a seven-day supply limit for initial opioid prescriptions issued for acute pain — a limit that is in-line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. The letter notes that 20 states have already taken action on this issue, calling for federal legislation to ensure consistent care.

NACDS’ letter also calls for federal legislation mandating electronic prescribing for controlled substances — something that currently only happens for 14% of controlled substance prescriptions. Earlier this year, NACDS voiced its support for the Every Prescription Conveyed Securely Act, which was introduced in August.

The e-prescribing mandate would be one way to enhance security while curbing fraud, waste and abuse. It also would provide a foundation for improving security through a national prescription drug monitoring program that would harmonize varying state requirements for reporting and accessing PDMP data, creating a single system. A national PDMP would use e-prescribing to offer providers and dispensers real-time guidance for patients, NACDS said.

The organization also suggested the use of manufacturer-funded envelopes that patients could use to mail back unused opioids. The envelopes would be available at pharmacies upon request, and their use could be reinforced by a state-legislated mail-back program, NACDS said.

The letter also notes the need to regulate synthetic opioids, the importance of advancing prescriber education tools through the Food and Drug Administration’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for opioids and the need for enhanced treatment for patients with opioid abuse disorders, among other approaches.

“As public health authorities have indicated, face-to-face interactions between pharmacists and patients have made pharmacists keenly aware of the extreme challenges and complexities associated with this epidemic,” Anderson wrote in the letter. “Based on this first-hand experience and our commitment to the patients and communities we serve, NACDS remains steadfast in our efforts to partner with law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and others to work on viable strategies to prevent prescription drug diversion and abuse, including prescription opioids. Chain pharmacies engage daily in activities with the goal of preventing drug diversion and abuse.”

It would appear that the National Association of Chain Drug Stores is ON BOARD with all the various alphabet soup of federal agencies’ agenda on the opiate crisis.  Not one word in this letter about the “needs” of the chronic pain pts !

So what many pts who patronize chain drug stores have experienced in the past about not being able to get their controlled substance prescriptions filled and given a multitude of reasons/excuses why they can’t have their controlled substance prescription filled.

from the NACDS letter Chain pharmacies engage daily in activities with the goal of preventing drug diversion and abuse.”

So the fewer controlled prescriptions they fill …they will be reducing the potential of drug diversion and abuse… but.. that only applies to legal opiates… will not touch – maybe increase – the reported 100 million that the drug cartels sell “on the street” of ILLEGAL OPIATES.

Of course, the denial of a chronic pain pt’s legal prescriptions could force those pts to commit suicide or in desperation … turn to trying to get some relief and buying street drugs and risking an unintentional OD and if they survive, then they will be labeled as having a “opiate use disorder”.

There are options to the CHAIN DRUG STORE… there are some 21,000 – 22,000 independent pharmacies in this country and generally your copays will be the same as from the chains.  Unlike the chain employed Pharmacists, the Pharmacist of the owners is not guaranteed a paycheck every pay period regardless if they fill your legit/on time/medically necessary prescription(s) or not.

Many independents provide delivery home at no charge and must less likely to treat you like a addict/criminal and most are much better staffed… so the wait time to get a prescription filled is generally much shorter.

I had my own independent pharmacy for 20+ yrs… so I am very familiar with the concept and mindset of the Pharmacist/owner.

Generally independents can order medication Monday – Thursday and get it the next day… some may take a extra day. The drug wholesalers are rationing controls to all pharmacies … so that may come into play when they can get controls back into inventory.

If the independent is a little bit longer drive, talk to the pharmacist into “syncing your meds” …where they set it up that you get all your meds every month on the SAME DAY…  How many trips/month are you now making to get all your meds ? Take all your prescriptions to the independent… if the chain that you have been patronizing is only interested in filling your non-control prescriptions and not your controls… do they deserve to have any of your business ?

http://www.ncpanet.org/home/find-your-local-pharmacy    here is website link where you can find independent pharmacies by ZIP CODE.

 

3 Responses

  1. I have used an independent pharmacy for over 12 yrs. Its so much nicer in every form then the big chains! One on one personal attention. First name basis. Fast refills!! Don’t expect you to purchase anything else – ever, but I do as i want to support the business for many reasons. Front row parking. Offer delivery services. Owner/pharmacist will call insurance and/it Dr whenever necessary. Better prices- used to pay cash, now have insurance. Referred many friends & relatives here. All the staff Treat all customers with dignity & respect!!! Never feel uncomfortable calling with questions.
    So if you haven’t tried an independent pharmacy, I highly suggest you do!! You won’t be disappointed.

    As for the 4 policy strategies……these are nothing new. Some more recent than others. What about getting street drugs off the streets??
    Do they really think that they are prescribing so much extra meds that they are flooding the streets with them??? Seriously?? They already know the illegal Carfentanil is being used on everything now! Even cocaine!!
    Any pain patient that is even still getting a partial script is NOT sharing, selling or just leaving it hang out in a open medicine cabinet for anyone to take!!!
    Accountability!! Responsibility!!!

  2. AMERICAN PAIN INSTITUTE (API) DEMANDS THAT CONGRESS INVESTIGATE THE DEA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (DOJ) FOR THE OVER PROSECUTION AND PERSECUTION OF PHYSICIANS WHO TREAT CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS!

    FIGHT PAIN PATIENT BIGOTRY AND ABUSE IN AMERICA!

    SUPPORT PAIN PATIENTS ADVOCACY WEEK, April 23-30, 2018!

    http://myemail.constantcontact.com/PRESS-RELEASE—API-Demands-Congress-Investigate-DEA-Persecution-of-Doctors.html?soid=1102581364537&aid=ZwAK7YpZt08

    http://www.AmericanPainInstitute.org
    http://www.PainPatientsCoalition.com
    http://www.DoctorsofCourage.org

  3. To who ever it concerns thank you so much. please feel free to publicly post and use this my story and grief of this horrible malady and the the Hell the now uninformed Public and some of the Media are putting us legitimate Chronic Pain Sufferers through! It is no more than local emotional Abuse ( and border line Domestic Emotional Terrorism )!on a scale with only Biblical proportions!To the Editor and Associates I have taken this opportunity to share my heartbreaking story in hopes these witch hunting Opiate ill informed skeptics will read and understand that we as Millions Of Legitimate Chronic Pain Sufferers would have no life without Medically prescribed Opiates by a physicians care and strictly monitored monthly urine and blood test. Please remember that An Opinion Before A Thorough Investigation Is The Epitome Of Ignorance! And that a little more compassion from the Medical Field and its representatives could have saved my beautiful Stepdaughters life. Let me say this! A person who has a addictive personality will abuse anything that helps them feel better. I have taken Oxycontin for 12 years , I have had 20 major surgery’s in 9 years. I have so much physical pain I can not even get out of bed with out pain meds and when I run out I run out and just lay in bed praying the Lord relieve me of this horrible condition and I pray God you pain med skeptics never go through what I go through everyday of my life when the only thing you have to do is threaten what help I get, Shame on them! There will always be drug abuse and as the so called war on drugs has failed all this will! All you do is stoke and aid the drug pushers business to knew heights in the Black Market of Heroin while trying to deprive folks as me to this horrible movement! My Stepdaughter committed suicide 4 years ago because of being treated like a drug addict by her family and doctors when all along she suffered from Lupus and Fibromyalgia which I believe was brought on by a deadly car crash at 18 , she told me between that which I was being put through and what they were putting her through she was not going to be able to live her life in such a hell brought on by people like the Biased Uniformed Skeptics that are on a witch hunt to out law Opiates and pain meds that give us some sort of a life . As a retired Police officer and worked indirectly close to the DEA, you people do not have a clue how thrilled you are making the illegal opiate trade and think of my Late Stepdaughter as you continue on with this 2017 Version of the ( 1940s Propaganda Film named REEFER MADNESS )movement to outlaw opiates! Just like the slaughter of children at Sandy Hook if there would have just been gun laws , my God they were Gun Laws , the guns that murdered all those 20 children were all registered and owned by a school teacher! You fight Drug Addiction in Elementary education by teaching all children the dangers of Booze and Tobacco which if these witch hunters want for us to know the real truth but they do not. I miss my Stepdaughter so much and some of us will continue on the fight to protect our right to feel better and function without fear of these witch hunters trying to convince us to commit suicide . And they are trying to do exactly THAT and are now being successful in this under the table practice of Human Genocide!
    The under line real truth it seems THESE witch hunters would rather us Chronic Pain sufferers commit suicide are and DRINK all the BOOZE we can drink! The Federals legalized it ( ALCOHOL) knowing its a more deadly drug than Strychnine. And just because the DEA has miserably failed with their witch hunt type movement on drugs why do they continuous fully deprive us sick people of our Constitutional Rights to be Happy in that pursuit of with Professional Physicians to take meds that give us relief of this horrible malady of Chronic Pain ! May God have mercy on their miserable souls they that seek to destroy us Chronic Pain Sufferers only and little hope of temporary relief of this horrible sickness.

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