Re: Patient abandonment etc.

[Guest guest]

Jay

I could not find anything for the state of Missouri (after Bennie suggested) I

went to look and couldnt find anything, does this law exist in MO?

As far as " treating " the patient YES you have to give a patient thirty days,

however, nowhere can the law state that the physician must continue the same

treatment if he deems the treatment modality has failed (i,e narcotics, after a

patient has tested with none in their system) 

While a hospital administrator when a dr wanted to fire a patient while

inpatient the doc would have to arrange for another doc to assume care.  Same as

when the patient wanted to fire a doc, I would explain sure, once you find a doc

to assume care of the patient you may fire the doc.

thanks

Deb RN

 Debra

[Guest guest]

While searching for the article on DEA diversion i did come across some advocacy

info for pain patients.  This stated that pain contracts do not work in

protecting patients.  I agree that the contract is more to protect the doc

and by signing the patient is agreeing that the doc has informed them about the

things that can happen with long term use of narcotics.  What do you think?

Deb RN

 Debra

[Guest guest]

Debra wrote:

> While searching for the article on DEA diversion i did come across some

advocacy info for pain patients. This stated that pain contracts do not work in

protecting patients. I agree that the contract is more to protect the doc and

by signing the patient is agreeing that the doc has informed them about the

things that can happen with long term use of narcotics. What do you think?

> Deb RN

> Debra

>

> Debra,

The War on Drugs by the DEA brought about the paranoia and opoidphogia as it is

called . Doctors protect themselves from addicts and DEA audits by using pain

contracts and I do not think it is to tell them about the long term use of

opoids as this is done on patient instruction and medicine inserts. The urine

tests would show nothing about the long term use of drugs as it is seeing

medications you are not even taking (you are being tested for, from barbiturates

to amphetamines to crack cocaine) so No, it is not for this reason. I have

followed this issue for a long time and you can look it up.

These links talk about the contracts, pain management, etc.

http://opioids.com/legal/criminalised.html

http://tiny.cc/nmV1I

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/node/59

These links are specific to the phobia of opoid medication and long term use and

the doctors that prescribe them. You can research this by typing in opiophobia

or war on doctors pain abuse. Pain Relief Network and the National Foundation

for the Treatment of Pain deals with this also.

http://doctordeluca.com/wordpress/category/opiophobia-chilling-effect/

ttp://www.opiophobia.blogspot.com/

or

http://tinyurl.com/yarolrb

So, each pain patient should understand the pain laws in each state and how they

effect the doctors that prescribe them. Doctors are scared each time they go to

another seminar or hear from a fellow physician being sent to jail for

dispensing narcotics inappropriately. The other side is the patient and keeping

them informed.

I believe that the Pain Patient Bill of Rights, the Pain Laws should be brought

up in a discussion with the doctor. I have a certificate that I have

intractable pain and a lawyer and doctor that I can consult that was given

through a foundation that does this and was my past doctor who is a pain patient

advocate.

If you want to e-mail me privately, I can give you name of the foundation plus

they provide a list of doctors that also practice this. The American Pain

Foundation has a website and a section on the current legislature and each state

besides the DEA (who has to follow this law and also helped write this law)

protects pain patients.

I encourage each person having a problem to look up the laws and meet with a

patient advocate, which each hospital has one and each doctor has privileges at

each hospital (just ask if the doctor is on staff). Each hospital also has a

quality assurance officer that has to address each complaint that is filed and

you can get the quality assurance officer by dialing the hospital and asking for

the quality assurance officer and state you want to file a complaint.

• The American Board of Pain Medicine lists doctors who are board-certified

pain specialists.

• The American Academy of Pain Medicine lists medical doctors who regularly

work with pain, and may or may not be board-certified pain specialists.

• The American Academy of Pain Management lists health-care providers who

regularly treat pain, though they may not be board-certified pain specialists or

medical doctors.

The American Pain Foundation has been forefront in lobbying for the Pain Act and

pain laws and gives these point of contacts for researching the law:

(from the American Pain Foundation website, laws and ethics )

• American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics

• Center for Practical Bioethics

Legal Issues

• National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain

• Pain and the Law

• Pain Relief Network

The American Chronic Pain Foundation also is a cited contact. I have followed

the American Pain Foundation and it posts current information.

The American Academy of Pain Management cites the requirements of a pain

contract to include all methods of pain management, not just the medication,

which not all doctors are doing, and doctors are required to update the

contracts to match the patient's assessment which none do that I know of.

see http://tiny.cc/x .

I believe in being informed about the " real " rights of a pain patient and each

hospital will have the bill of rights posted there. If a hospital finds out

their doctor

that they have signed on with privileges is mistreating patients, they will

become concerned. If they do not know it, they cannot do anything about it.

So, there are the steps outside the doctors office to contact a patient advocate

to assist you, you can make a rightful complaint and get someone to assist you

in finding an appropriate doctor. This cannot be done though, if these avenues

are not used and documented and you do want them documented, as it will help you

in the future. I hope this helps give a positive steps for assistance because I

can tell you, I have used them all to include trying to file a malpractice suit.

Do not get dragged down in what you cannot get as everyone deserves appropriate

care and I hope I have given some insights of what I have learned.

Bennie,

Hospital Administrator mode