News in brief - Nov. 8, 2004

DEA drops pain FAQs from Web site - Md. voters express concern about liability crisis - AMA past president leading World Medical Assn. - Pennsylvania Medical Society names new president

DEA drops pain FAQs from Web site

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has removed from its Web site a 31-page "frequently asked questions" document designed to answer common concerns that both health care professionals and law enforcement personnel might have about prescription pain medications.

In its place, the DEA posted a two-paragraph notice explaining that the document contained "misstatements" and had not been approved as an "official statement" of the agency.

DEA special agent Ed Childress said the agency "will have another statement going out identifying all the problems with the document."

The document, released Aug. 13., was co-authored by the DEA, the Last Acts Partnership and the Pain & Policy Studies Group at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Russell K. Portenoy, MD, chair of the Dept. of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, served as the effort's lead expert on pain.

Aaron Gilson, PhD, assistant director with the Pain & Policy Studies Group, said his organization would be "open to a wider review" of the document but added that the DEA's action had not caused it "to second-guess the content of the document in terms of its utility and correctness."

Md. voters express concern about liability crisis

Nearly 90% of 809 Maryland registered voters surveyed said they were aware of the rising cost of medical liability insurance that physicians and hospitals in the state face.

According to the Gonzales Research Poll that the American Hospital Assn. released in October:

91% of voters are concerned that the increases will impact their access to health care.
95% are concerned that physician premium hikes will increase the amount their family pays for health care.
81% believe it is very important for state government to work together to deal with the issue.

The American Medical Association lists Maryland as a state that is showing signs of a medical liability crisis.

AMA past president leading World Medical Assn.

AMA Past President Yank D. Coble Jr., MD, took over last month as president of the World Medical Assn., which represents more than 8 million physicians in 80 countries -- 60 of which Dr. Coble has visited.

"These travels have given me unconditional respect for our global profession of medicine -- and a deep sense of awe -- at the remarkable trust and hope our calling commands and inspires," Dr. Coble said during his inaugural address before more than 400 delegates from 40 countries attending the WMA General Assembly in Tokyo.

The Jacksonville, Fla.-based endocrinologist also announced his goal of producing a publication called Caring Physicians of the World, which will include profiles of individual doctors from all over the world.

"As a group, they will represent the finest traditions of our great profession and show how physicians today are working to the highest professional standards in different cultures and under different pressures," he said. "At the heart of this tradition is the physician's caring approach to patients added to impeccable ethics and excellence, grounded in science."

Dr. Coble was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 1994 and also served as the Association's secretary-treasurer, chaired its finance committee and served as a member of Florida's delegation to the House of Delegates. He has also served as president of the Florida Medical Assn. and held leadership positions with the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Pennsylvania Medical Society names new president

William W. Lander, MD, a family physician in solo practice in Bryn Mawr, Pa., is the new president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

Dr. Lander, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, joined the medical society in 1954. He has been a member of numerous volunteer committees at the society and has served on the society's Board of Trustees since 1996.

Dr. Lander said patient advocacy must be the central focus of doctors, whether in the exam room, operating room or legislative halls of the capitol. "We must find new ways to rebuild the physician-patient relationship so that outside forces stop tearing apart this time-honored relationship," he said shortly after taking the oath of office in October to become the society's 155th president.