U . S . v . Oakley Pharmacy Inc .: a “ first of its kind ” lawsuit to stop two Tennessee pharmacies for illegally dispensing opioids ( based on unusually high doses and dangerous combinations of prescriptions , as well as patients traveling long distances to fill prescriptions and paying high cash prices ).
These and many more actions stood out to Grizzle because they show efforts are being undertaken by multiple entities that might inadvertently conflict with each other . For instance , at the federal level there is a growing focus on the opioid crisis through the lens of negative impacts on patient care , while state and local officials are looking at the extraordinary cost in terms of treatment and recovery programs to address the issue .
“ You are seeing enforcement for both at the federal and state levels , as they are really trying to combat this issue ,” Grizzle says . “ The ways that they ’ re addressing it are numerous , and they may be pulling providers in different directions .”
THESE INCLUDE :
• State legislators attempting to , or passing , legislation that attempts to curb opioid use as well as provide more guardrails around prescribing habits of providers .
• Federal and state prosecutors pursuing criminal action against individuals in the supply chain related to opioid abuse .
• Private and government payers conducting audits related to providers where they have concerns for prescribing habits .
• Medical boards exercising oversight over physicians , nurse practitioners , and nurses .
To date , because state and federal level actions have been fragmented and often lack strong coordination , physicians and healthcare system officials must understand the full picture that combines overall addiction-rise statistics with current and potential enforcement actions .
“These new developments have led to a decreased willingness by some to even discuss opioid use with their patients , a move that some say is scaling back too far in the other direction .”
Joe Morris Contributing Writer at HealthStream
The goal is to empower them as they work to address the issue , and to begin thinking about educational resources that would address the approach they and their colleagues should take now and in the future . For instance , providers need to know how to respond to official inquiries , should those come along . Simply put , they should be able to go about their jobs not looking over their shoulder , but rather be proactive and collaborative with others who share their goal of quality patient care .
“ Physicians want to continue to provide great care to their patients ,” she says . “ It ’ s overwhelming to them . It ’ s not just one agency taking a look ; there are a lot of them .”
“ It ’ s a challenge to providers to keep up with the changes in laws , especially for providers operating in multiple states ,” she continues . “ It can be difficult to keep track of what their requirements are , where some states are dictating what a physician needs to write in his or her medical record and others are not .”