PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

Doctors voice objections to DEA fee increase

Medical associations and individual physicians offer alternatives to the proposed 87% hike.

By Andis Robeznieks, AMNews staff. May 12, 2003.

The public comment period for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's proposed physician registration fee increase ended April 21, and agency representatives said they would review comments before taking any further steps.

The agency received 27 letters from individuals and organizations regarding its proposal to increase from $70 to $131 the annual fee physicians must pay to write prescriptions for controlled substances.

"Most physicians probably feel there's nothing they can do, but I don't think any of them are saying, 'Yeah, it should definitely be increased,' " said John P. DuMoulin, the American College of Physicians' director of practice advocacy. "But by the same token, we had enough complaints from members to merit writing a letter."

The fee helps fund the agency's prescription drug anti-diversion program. In its comment letter, the ACP suggested other ways the DEA could find money for this.

"Physicians are in partnership with the DEA in keeping controlled substances out of the wrong hands," DuMoulin said. "Instead of charging them a fee, we suggest putting the cost back on people who use the DEA number improperly as a unique identifier. ... That kills two birds with one stone: It reduces the number of people doing that, and it would also put more money in the program."

Family physician Peter Bidwell, MD, of Jasper, Texas, agrees. He was one of the letter writers, and he suggested increasing fines for people who fraudulently obtain prescriptions and then using those fines to finance the program.

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