Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
VA doctors renewed prescriptions without seeing patients [View all]
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/02/cir-prescriptions-renewed/?stVA doctors renewed prescriptions without seeing patients
By The Center for Investigative Reporting
Dec. 2, 2013
Doctors at the San Francisco VA Medical Center regularly renewed prescriptions for highly addictive narcotic painkillers for veterans they had never seen, according to a new report by the Department of Veterans Affairs' inspector general.
The report also documented seven cases of opiate overdose among patients at the facility and determined doctors "did not consistently monitor patients for misuse."
The auditor's review comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of the VA's painkiller prescription practices.
In September, The Center for Investigative Reporting revealed that VA prescriptions for four opiates - hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone and morphine - surged 270 percent between 2001 and 2012. That far outpaced the increase in patients and contributed to a fatal overdose rate among VA patients that the agency's own researchers put at nearly double the national average.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read