Doctors who treat patients who experience pain have one of the most difficult jobs of any physicians. These medical professionals need to make sure they are able to meet the needs of their patients, many of whom have serious chronic conditions that can cause them significant discomfort. At the same time, however, doctors who prescribe pain pills often find themselves as scapegoats when concerns arise about the abuse of pain medications.
If you are a doctor who prescribes pain pills and authorities determine that you are overprescribing, your medical license could be at risk and you could potentially even face criminal charges. You need to be aggressive in medical license defense and you must make sure you fight hard for your continued ability to practice medicine if you are accused of over proscribing pain pills when you were only trying to provide help to your patients. Not only is your career at stake, but patients are depending upon you.
In recent weeks, there have been numerous reports of doctors who prescribe pain medications ending up having their license suspended or in danger of being revoked. The actions of medical boards against doctors have serious consequences not only for the physicians, but also for patients who were counting on their doctor to help them to manage serious medical issues.
The Seattle Times, for example, reported that the suspension of one pain doctor’s license affected the care of more than 8,000 patients who were in need of pain pills. The patients were reportedly very worried they would not be able to find the care they needed. Providers who offer pain management found themselves dealing with calls from hundreds of potential new patients and the pain management clinics were not able to meet the demand.
Some of the patient desperately seeking help after their doctor was taken away are worried about more than just being in severe pain if they cannot get their needed medications. There are around 400 patients who have implanted pumps and who receive medications through those pumps. If they are not able to get the medications they require, they could experience severe withdrawal symptoms and there is the potential that they could die.
As patients, many of whom were high risk to begin with, worry about their care, the doctor whose license has been suspended has not actually been charged with any criminal activity. He has asked that a hearing be scheduled with the Medical Commission who took his license, but a date has not been set yet. This physician, and other doctors whose licenses are threatened because of prescribing pain pills, needs to ensure that they are aggressive in medical license defense so they can protect their careers and so they can protect the patients who are depending upon them for help.
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