Some doctors in Kentucky fear they may face criminal charges or penalties for legitimate prescriptions and clerical errors under the new law designed to curb prescription drug abuse.
Lawmakers will review the regulations to House Bill 1 passed this year to crack down on illegal pill mills and will have a hearing Wednesday in Frankfort to get input from the medical industry.
While the law is intended to target corrupt doctors, many in the medical community say the extensive standards for controlled substances will make it much harder for patients in need of prescription pain medication to get their medicine. Proponents, however, said it won’t penalize the doctors who prescribe with the right intent.
Some doctors will likely stop prescribing these controlled substances that commonly treat pain, anxiety and other ailments, said Dr. Gregory Hood, an internist from Lexington who serves as governor for the Kentucky chapter of the American College of Physicians.
“We will try and still use the full extent of our medical education to treat patients, but there are already doctors saying no more prescriptions on a green prescription pads,” Hood said.
The concerns go beyond legal liability, Hood said. The requirement for drug screenings costs patients and infringes on privacy, he said. One of Hood’s patients in the past month had a panic attack in his office after revealing a history of sexual and spousal abuse, he said. He couldn’t give the patient the needed medication because the results of a mandatory drug screening required by the law would come to her house and could be read by her husband, he said.
“The paper trail would lead to discovery,” Hood said.
Medicare also doesn’t cover the drug screening, which can cost hundreds of dollars, he said.
Doctors say the staff time to comply with the regulations and the complexity of the regulations put a burden on medical offices.
Doctors say primary care physicians won’t likely want to take a risk and refer patients to specialists.
“It adds layers of more work they and their staffs already have to do,” said Dr. Elmer Martin, a Covington pediatrician who serves as medical director for HealthPoint Family Care.