New Opioid Laws are Affecting Physicians in Unintended Ways
To combat the rampant opioid addiction problem, new laws were introduced to limit prescription opioids. The new laws may be addressing concerns pertaining to addiction but they have created a number of problems for physicians.
Although doctors aren’t objecting to the laws, they are claiming that their introduction is causing unnecessary administrative issues that are preventing patients from receiving the medication they need.
Doctors have also complained that health insurers are misusing the law and denying/delaying prescriptions; even patients suffering from cancer and other terminal conditions are having trouble getting medication.
Other than patients, pharmacists are also facing difficulties in filling prescriptions that are affected by the law.
Physician’s Prescriptions
Physicians have become overly conscious about prescribing opioids. Out of fear of being arrested or penalized by the medical community, physicians are hesitant in prescribing opioids even when they know that their patient may benefit from them.
Some physicians have decided to give up their DEA licenses because they refused to learn the new laws and regulations.
Renowned physicians such as Betty Chu, M.D., president of the Michigan State Medical Society say that the new opioids laws should be revised according to the needs and concerns of the physicians that prescribe them. Unless the doctors are brought into the loop, the issues with the new laws cannot be addressed adequately.
Black-market prescription drugs
A major issue with the new opioid laws is that they can push addicts toward other, more harmful drugs like heroin and cocaine. The last things physicians want is to send their patients searching for illegal drugs on the streets.
The laws can also force law-abiding citizens to look for products in the black market. Since the prescription drugs used to treat certain chronic diseases (like diabetes) are so expensive, law-abiding citizens often sell their opioid prescriptions to the black market in order to buy insulin and food.
Due to these issues, many physicians believe that new opioid laws will not be successful in preventing addiction and fatalities because
As a result, the number of deaths and addictions hasn’t appreciably changed the past several years in Michigan, physicians and state officials say.
According to statistics, back in 2015, more than 33,000 people lost their lives due to opioid addiction in the US. Prescription opioids like morphine and Vicodin are powerful pain-killers but they are also very addictive and likely to be abused. But limiting a patient’s access to prescriptive drugs only directs them to illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl that are even more dangerous.
As of right now, the new opioid laws have to be followed. Healthcare institutions have their reputations on the line. It’s imperative that that all employed physicians learn and fully understand the law to make sure their licenses are not taken away from.
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