Opioids are harming health and claiming lives at a staggering rate. But does this mean that doctors should stop prescribing them completely. Why not use a more judicious approach here instead? One of the main challenges faced by primary healthcare providers is managing chronic pain. Prescription opioids – like oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine - are powerful pain-reducing medications. However, the benefits come with a heavy dose of potential risks as well. These are controlled substance drugs as they entail heavy chances of addiction, overdose and death. In fact, opioid abuse and misuse is a huge crisis in the United States. However, does this mean that physicians should shy away from using these analgesics to treat chronic pain due to the fear of the drugs being abused, diverted or misused in another manner? A healthcare provider’s first duty is to help the patient to manage the pain in the best way possible. However, they should be extra careful when prescribing opioid medications as they are ripe for various forms of mistreatment. Following are some tips that will ensure more prudent prescriptions:
While healthcare providers should always be judicious when prescribing controlled substances, they also need to abide by the other DEA controlled substance regulations to ensure that there is no diversion or misuse. Teaming up with a professional service provider - like the Titan Group - can be a lifeline when it comes to conforming with the varied rules and regulations governing the procuring, handling, storage, prescribing, dispensing and disposing of prescription drugs. To add to this, they provide post-remediation training as well.
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Obtaining and using scheduled drugs in an illegal manner is known as drug diversion. This is very common and the DEA makes every effort to combat the incidence by maintaining checks and controls. Every drug is meant for a specific use and most often, fulfils its mission of treating, alleviating or managing a health condition. But what happens when the drug is diverted from its intended role and used for other purposes? It may sound absurd, but drug diversion is a common phenomenon, especially in the case of controlled substances. Indeed, prescription medicines are often acquired illegally and put to illegitimate use. While scheduled drugs are subject to intensive regulations and the handling even entails DEA compliance training, illicit diversions from legal sources happens all the time. Drug diversion can take place at any point in the supply chain, right from manufacturing site to the wholesale distributor, the physician's office, the retail pharmacy or the patient himself. It can be done by the drug manufacturing companies themselves, the healthcare providers or their staff, or the pharmacists and their employees. Then there are individuals who try to obtain the prescriptions under false pretences, forge or steal prescriptions or indulge in thefts at the hospital/pharmacy. Leftover medications following an illness or injury can also be misused by the patient himself or others who gain access to the drugs. The reasons for drug abuse are aplenty. People want to enjoy the pain relief, stay awake, induce sleep or just get ‘high’. What they don’t realise or prefer to overlook is that the controlled substances are strictly regulated for good reasons–they can lead to addiction, impair behaviour and emotions, turn toxic and even lead to death. The statistics are mind-boggling - Every year more than a million people end up in the emergency room for taking prescription drugs incorrectly. The misuse of prescription painkillers claims the lives of more than 40 people daily - more than the combined number of people dying from using heroin and cocaine. Efforts to combat drug diversion Drug diversion is a serious offence and violators can end up in jail. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances Act and goes all out to prevent drug diversion in the United States. The Diversion Control Division (DC) deploys Tactical Diversion Squads (TDSs) - composed of special agents, diversion investigators and intelligence research specialists located in all field divisions – that are solely dedicated to investigating, disrupting and dismantling individuals and organizations involved in diversion schemes. The onus is on the pharmacies, physicians, hospitals, suppliers, wholesalers, manufacturers and other entities that handle, prescribe or administer scheduled drugs to ensure that they are stored and used properly without leaving any scope for theft, ‘doctor shopping’ or other forms of diversion. The rules are varied and it proves difficult to abide by all of them at all times. Employing the services of an expert and established DEA compliance consultant – like the Titan Group – can ease matters and ensure complete compliance! |
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April 2023
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