Pain Management
Who Is to Blame for Skyrocketing Drug Prices?
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared in The Hill on July 27, 2017. Drug Prices Are Soaring Across the board, drug prices are soaring. Even the cost of cancer medications are so high that some patients are delaying cancer treatments or skipping them altogether. But who is most responsible for higher drug prices: pharmaceutical…
Read MoreIs Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction?
However, before we classify the chemical fentanyl as a WMD, we need to know what that would mean for its legitimate use during surgery, or for cancer and chronic pain patients. Access to the medication for the treatment of pain must be part of the calculus in assessing if a relatively safe and effective drug should be classified as a WMD.
Read MoreWhen Will Forced Tapering of Opioids End?
Will the DEA stop pursuing doctors who treat pain patients with levels of opioids that exceed the guideline’s recommendations? For Larry and other pain patients who have been forcibly tapered, the answer may be a matter of life and death.
Read MoreHow Has CDC Opioid Guideline Affected You?
Pain News Network is now conducting a survey with the intent of finding out how the CDC guideline is affecting both providers and patients.
Read MoreInnovations in Healthcare
Innovations in healthcare such as Virtual Reality Neuropsychological Therapy (VRNT) and dozens of other technologies bring hope to pain patients.
Read MoreA Daughter’s Pain and Healing
This is an article by Reggie W. Greening. I offer it with the author’s permission for informational purposes. The author and I have no financial involvement. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE HIS OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Some people with pain have benefited from alternative therapies. In my…
Read MoreFive Consequential Issues for People with Pain in 2018
As 2018 comes to a close, I have reflected on legislation, polices, and a critical report that will likely continue to have an impact on the pain community in 2019. In no particular order, I have listed 5 issues that I feel were highly consequential for 2018. 1. CMS Decides to Impose Opioid Limits Beginning…
Read MoreAmerican Society of Anesthesiologists Oppose Oregon’s Opioid Prescribing Proposal
Oregon Chronic Pain Task Force’s Proposal I previously posted a letter written by Dr. Sean Mackey that discusses the problem with the Oregon Chronic Pain Task Force’s proposal that would leave many Medicaid patients without adequate pain therapy. The proposal would force providers to lower, or eliminate, the use of opioids despite the benefits patients…
Read MoreOregon Chronic Pain Task Force Revised Proposal Regarding Opioids
A Painful Proposal Unfortunately, according to the Portland Business Journal, the scaled-back Oregon opioid proposal has moved closer to reality. The Task Force has taken a very harsh position for prescribing opioids to control pain in the Medicaid population. Potentially, the proposal could hurt 1 million Oregonians who are in that position. Response to Oregon…
Read MoreWhat Senator Ed Markey Doesn’t Understand
Senator Ed Markey of MA Opposed DSUVIA According to a recent USA Today article, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts “urged the FDA not to approve Dsuvia last month, saying “an opioid that is a thousand times more powerful than morphine is a thousand times more likely to be abused, and a thousand times more likely to…
Read More