OPINIONSchedule II drug rule only a first stepA DEA-proposed regulation will help physicians with one aspect of pain prescribing, but more needs to be done.Editorial. Oct. 16, 2006. Doctors shouldn't feel unnecessarily constrained when they go to put pen to prescription pad to help a patient who is legitimately in chronic pain. Unfortunately, though, all too often that can be the case, given special government restrictions on how some prescriptions may be written. On top of that, there's a fear in the back of many physicians' minds that they could be investigated for prescribing too many pain medications, even if the scripts they write are legitimate. But one of those aspects is about to get a little easier for doctors. The Drug Enforcement Administration in September proposed a rule that would let doctors write multiple prescriptions for schedule II drugs during a single office visit, with the total amount prescribed not allowed to exceed a 90-day supply. It's something doctors were able to do before the DEA created an interim policy in 2004 that said writing multiple prescriptions with instructions to fill the prescriptions on different dates was the equivalent of authorizing refills of a schedule II drug. The Controlled Substances Act makes refills for those drugs illegal. Returning to a policy that lets doctors use their professional judgment to decide if refills on prescription pain medication are appropriate for their patients' care will help ensure that patients receive the care they need without the added inconvenience and cost of repeated physician office visits. The proposed rule change -- open for comment until Nov. 6 -- makes it easier for doctors to help patients. But more needs to be done to alleviate physician concerns about the DEA investigating their prescribing. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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