Alcohol Survey Suggests Alcoholism Less Prevalent Than Believed

http://www.piercepioneer.com/alcohol-survey-suggests-alcoholism-less-prevalent-believed/35659

From the article:

A recent study based on findings in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that most people who drink “too much” or actually not alcoholics.

So… you change the definition of what alcoholism is… and you end up with fewer “alcoholics” but the same number of people die from using/abusing alcohol ?

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Compounding Pharmacy Back in Business After Suing DEA

http://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/Compounding-Pharmacy-Back-in-Business-After-Suing-DEA

From the article:

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AG pick Lynch may face grilling over seizing properties, experts say

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/20/civil-forfeiture-likely-to-be-hot-issue-at-lynch-confirmation-hearing-experts/

From the article:

A boast by President Obama’s pick to be the nation’s top law enforcement official could come back to haunt her in confirmation hearings before the Senate, where some members object to prosecutors’ rampant use of civil forfeiture, a controversial but legal process that can allow citizens’ assets to be seized without due process.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch, who Obama seeks to elevate to U.S. attorney general, replacing Eric Holder, announced in January that her office collected more than $904 million in criminal and civil actions in fiscal year 2013. While the policy generates funds used for other law enforcement efforts and offsets the burden on taxpayers, liberals and conservatives alike have questioned asset forfeiture as “an abuse of due process.” Experts say Lynch will likely have to defend the practice she once touted.

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2015 Part D Formularies: Fewer Rxs, Higher Cost-Sharing, More Tiers

A recent analysis by Avalere Health, a health care research and advisory firm, shows several significant changes to Medicare Part D formularies that will affect the way beneficiaries pay for their medications in 2015. Significant changes include:

Fewer drugs covered—Nine out of the top 10 prescription drug plans (PDPs) will cover a smaller portion of total Part D drugs in 2015 compared to 2014. The percentage will range from 50% to 68%.

Greater cost-sharing—Two-thirds of stand-alone Part D PDPs will apply co-insurance, meaning consumers will pay a percentage of the total cost of the drugs, most likely applicable to brand name products.

Four tiers the norm—All Part D plans will have four or more tiers, a notable first since the inception of the Part D program in 2006.

For the first time a specialty tier in all PDPs–Plans can only place a drug on the specialty tier if the total drug price negotiated between the plan and pharmacies exceeds $600 month. Co-insurance will be limited to 25% to 33%, depending on the size of the deductible for a given plan. Unlike drugs placed on all other tiers, beneficiaries cannot appeal the cost sharing for drugs placed on the specialty tier.

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Patients infected with meningitis sue PainCare

http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20141120/NEWS/sthash.5MHZBqpn.cmfs

From the article:

CONCORD — A second wave of lawsuits over contaminated medicine is being directed at PainCare, owned by Michael O’Connell.

Thirteen patients of PainCare, which has 10 locations in New Hampshire, including Newington and Somersworth, filed suit against the company and its owner Wednesday for contracting meningitis in 2012.

The second wave of lawsuits is directed at PainCare, “the New Hampshire business that chose to buy the ‘bargain basement’ medicine and give injections of contaminated medicine to New Hampshire patients,” McGrath said in a press release Thursday morning.

“The folks have suffered pain, stress and anxiety,” McGrath stated. “To make matters worse, many do not have health insurance to pay for the critical treatment.”

This lawsuit states the 13 residents were terribly harmed by the contaminated medicine. Some plaintiffs have more than $200,000 in medical expenses caused by the contaminated medicine. Several plaintiffs are disabled and were hospitalized as a result of the contaminated injections.

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FDA Approves New, Hard-to-Abuse Hydrocodone Pill

http://www.wkrg.com/story/27441124/fda-approves-new-hard-to-abuse-hydrocodone-pill

From the article

WASHINGTON – Federal health regulators have approved the first hard-to-abuse version of the painkiller hydrocodone, offering an alternative to a similar medication that has been widely criticized for lacking such safeguards.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Purdue Pharma’s Hysingla ER, for patients with severe, round-the-clock pain that cannot be managed with other treatments. The once-a-day tablet is designed to resist attempts to crush it for snorting or injecting. Purdue Pharma’s new drug poses a direct commercial challenge to Zogenix’s much-debated drug Zohydro, a twice-a-day hydrocodone tablet approved by the FDA last year.

Doctors prescribe opioids for a range of ailments, from post-surgical pain to arthritis and migraines. Deaths linked to abuse of the medications have quadrupled since 1990 to nearly 17,000 annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Overdose Death Rates Drop in States with Medical Marijuana Laws

http://americannewsreport.com/nationalpainreport/overdose-death-rates-drop-in-states-with-medical-marijuana-laws-8824565.html

From the article:

Overdose death rates from prescription opioid painkillers and illicit drugs such as heroin have declined significantly in states with medical marijuana laws, according to controversial new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Critics immediately attacked the study as flawed, while supporters of medical marijuana say it adds to the growing body of evidence that cannabis is a safer and more effective analgesic than opioids.

Researchers studied death certificate data from13 states where medical marijuana was legal between 1999 and 2010. They found those states had nearly a 25% lower death rate from opiates than states without such laws.

In 2010, that translated to about 1,729 fewer deaths than expected.

The association with lower overdose death rates grew stronger over time, with states reporting an average of 33% fewer deaths by the 6^th year that medical marijuana was legal.

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I have been a “student” of our bureaucracy … politicians… and bureaucrats that actually “runs the system” on a day to day basis…your basic civil servant.

Some of these bureaucrats seemingly get on such a power trip that they will even strike out at Congress.. who holds the purse strings for their operation… when they disagree with members of Congress .. recently a DEA official accused members of Congress of “supporting criminals”  https://www.pharmaciststeve.com/?p=6817

It is perfectly legal for law enforcement to lie to you… but.. it is ILLEGAL for you to lie to them..

This week a saw a comment from a chronic pain pt that had contacted AG Pam “fill up the jails” Bondi’s office and was told that the AG COULD NOT FORCE a Pharmacist fill a controlled Rx… what wasn’t said.. that the AG’s office COULD FORCE a pharmacist to NOT FILL A CONTROL RX… at least indirectly…

Everyone is focused on the term in the DEA law “corresponding responsibility”… which… to the best of my knowledge has been in the law since its inception. It would seem that since Pres Obama and AG Holder have come into power that the DEA has taken a new interpretation of these two words.

The DEA has made public statements that they don’t want to interfere with legit pts getting their medically necessary meds… but.. it would seem that the DEA has focused their communications with its registrants (Wholesalers, Pharmacies, Prescribers) on opiates getting into the wrong hands.. and not putting any emphasis on the fact that there is also a corresponding responsibility to get opiates in the RIGHT HANDS.. While the first is ILLEGAL… the latter could fall under irresponsible negligence, unprofessional conduct, failing to meet standard of care and best practices.  After all the DEA has stated they don’t want to interfere with legit pts getting their meds. So if Pharmacists are found to be improperly denying legit pts their medically necessary meds… there is “no blood” on the DEA’s hands..

Are Pharmacists being set up to fail ?  When all of this starts to hit the fan… will some very bright attorney be able to tear apart the “professional discretion” argument when the Pharmacist cannot document that their decisions were more based on “instincts”, “personal biases”, “gut”, “little voice” while failing to look at the existing pt’s profile and pulling a PMP report among other facts to come to a factual decision to fill or not to fill.

If the Pharmacist has decided to decline to fill the Rx.. isn’t this do to the fact that they consider that there is not appropriate medical necessity by the pt… Doesn’t that make the Rx ILLEGAL and laws are being broken… Why aren’t they filing charges with the local police against the pt and the prescriber.. isn’t that part of corresponding responsibility ?

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Broken Arrow Walgreens pharmacist arrested for alleged embezzlement of prescription medication

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/broken-arrow-walgreens-pharmacist-arrested-for-alleged-embezzlement-of-prescription/article_1f94deab-e14f-5e22-958f-7b7c94b294a4.html#user-comment-area

From the article:

A pharmacist at a Broken Arrow Walgreens store has been arrested and accused of embezzling prescription medication from two locations where he worked this year.

Curry, according to the arrest report, admitted to stealing Oxycodone during the last nine months but said he never took the pills while on duty and he never sold them. Curry said he needed the medication because he “stands on his feet 10-12 hours a day while working,” according to the arrest report.

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http://ktnv.video.jrn.com/Prescription-for-Pain-Change-in-law-causes-more-delays-pain-28165741?playlistId=15096

Filed under: General Problems | 3 Comments »