If you’re a physician and you are prescribing narcotics to patient after patient on a regular basis, you stand a very good chance of running afoul of the Department of Health. The Department of Health and its investigative bureau, the Office of Professional Medical Conduct, are on the lookout for doctors who just routinely, day after day, month after month, year after year, prescribe narcotics for patients. They want to see that you’re sending the patients to pain management or to acupuncture or to physical therapy or to a surgeon for evaluation, to see if whatever the cause of their pain can be alleviated in some way other than the continuing, never ending taking of narcotics.
The problem is, they found out that the death rate of patients is higher in people who are taking narcotics on an ongoing basis than any problem that the people have with the pain that they are complaining of. Do not put yourself in this position. Send the patient to other specialists, and try to get the problem solved in some other way if possible. If you can’t get it solved, be sure you get the patient with a board certified pain management doctor, and let that person do the evaluating and the medical treatment.
This informational blog post was brought to you by Paul E. Walker, an experienced New York Medical Malpractice Defense Attorney. Please contact the Walker Medical Law firm to set up a free initial consultation.
