TN Nursing Home medication errors (wrong drug, wrong dose, wrong time) to less than 5 percent IS ACCEPTABLE ?

Nursing home ranks at bottom https://www.t-g.com/story/2506038.html In a September 2016 court filing, federal prosecutors said Glen Oaks Health and Rehabilitation of Shelbyville was providing “grossly substandard, and/or worthless nursing home services to Medicare and TennCare” patients. Nearly two years later Glen Oaks is still in need of improvements. In recently released reports rating 28 nursing […]

WV AG: suing the DEA because the national drug quota system had utterly failed our citizens

West Virginians weigh opioid response as they look at GOP Senate candidates http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/04/20/west-virginians-weigh-opioid-response-as-look-at-gop-senate-candidates.html CHARLESTON, W. Va. –  Republican candidates running in the Mountain State’s Senate primary have spent time in court, in Congress and in a correctional facility. Each has different ideas about how to fix the opioid epidemic, and voters are carefully weighing those […]

Will PBMs Be the Next Target of Opioid Lawsuits?

http://managedhealthcareexecutive.modernmedicine.com/managed-healthcare-executive/news/will-pbms-be-next-target-opioid-lawsuits Although suing physicians and pharmacists over the opioid crisis is nothing new, up until now pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have been off the radar screen. But in February, a south Texas county included the three largest PBMs—CVS, Express Scripts, and OptumRx as well as some smaller ones operating in Texas—in a nationwide lawsuit focusing […]

Politicians Get the Opioid Crisis Wrong as Patients Suffer and Street Drugs Kill

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/04/18/politicians-get-opioid-crisis-wrong-patients-suffer-street-drugs-kill/ Determining the true cause of the opioid crisis is crucial – is it prescription painkillers or street drugs? Congress should not be passing legislation to solve the wrong problem. There will be serious public health consequences for cracking down on the wrong type of drugs. The crisis will not abate if the real problem […]

Iowa lawmaker/pharmacist literally calls ‘BS’ on CVS rationale for high drug prices

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180419/iowa-lawmakerpharmacist-literally-calls-bs-on-cvs-rationale-for-high-drug-prices Pharmacy giant CVS has for months ignored questions in Ohio about a controversial pricing practice, but an Iowa legislative committee on Wednesday got the executive in charge to describe it. He came after a lawmaker threatened a subpoena. Rich Ponesse, senior director of trade finance for CVS Caremark, appeared before the Iowa House Government […]

DEA just raised the production quotas on injectable opioids. Is that enough to stop the shortage?

https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2018/04/18/dea-opioids The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) increased production quotas for certain drugmakers to help alleviate a shortage of injectable opioids that has plagued providers since the summer—but industry experts say relief is still several months away.  Background The shortage, which industry experts largely attribute to manufacturing issues at Pfizer, comes amid a federal push to reduce […]

Patrick Kennedy profits from opioid-addiction firms

https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2018/04/17/patrick-kennedy-profits-from-opioid-addiction-firms-368780 Patrick Kennedy, the former Democratic representative and scion of the liberal political dynasty, has emerged as the unlikely go-to player for companies seeking to benefit from the Trump administration’s multibillion-dollar response to the opioid crisis, reaping well over $1 million in salaries and equity stakes in the firms. The 50-year-old son of the late […]

Controlled Substance Quotas.. comment period thru May 4th

Controlled Substances Quotas- We only have until May 4th to comment on this. Please share with all CPP’s you know. They just posted it this morning, so we don’t have much time. https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DEA_FRDOC_0001-0221    

TN: new law will “SOLVE” opiate addiction problem in FIVE YEARS

Hawk’s Prescription Meds Bill Passes House, Senate https://www.greenevillesun.com/news/local_news/hawk-s-prescription-meds-bill-passes-house-senate/article_7fd611d2-9048-5192-bc41-a6fe2eee4f42.html The way opioids are prescribed in the State of Tennessee is about to change after state lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill designed to decrease the supply and dosage of prescription opioids. House Bill 1831, sponsored by Rep. David Hawk, R-5th of Greeneville, passed the House of Representatives […]

DEA: “BELIEVES” opiates being diverted – NOT FACTS – reduce pharma’s production quota

Jeff Sessions’ Plan to Put Strict Limits on Painkiller Manufacturers Will Only Make the Opioid Crisis Worse: Reason Roundup Plus: Pompeo’s secret trip to North Korea, Justice Sotomayor’s skepticism over online sales-tax justifications, and Charleston tour guides’ fight for free speech. https://reason.com/blog/2018/04/18/-reason-roundup Jeff Sessions proposes D.E.A. control country’s supply of legal opioids. Once again misdiagnosing […]