Posts Tagged ‘patients’ rights’
What’s Massachusetts Thinking?
What’s Massachusetts thinking? The newest twist in the painkiller abuse debate is that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has proposed legislation that has me in dejected disbelief. The bill would restrict both doctors and dentists from prescribing more than 72 hours of medication to patients upon initial injury or surgery. I understand the thought but it…
Read MorePendulums and Painkillers
Carl Jung once remarked, “The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.” When I think about the nation’s patchwork quilt policy toward opioids, I’m reminded of how right he was. In my book “The Painful Truth,” I devoted some space to outline a brief history of opioids, and…
Read MoreChronic Pain Care As a Basic Human Right
People in chronic pain deserve respect and access to treatments that make their lives better. Sadly, many patients, like those whose stories you’ve read on my blog, have been failed by the system. Fear of law enforcement and regulatory guidelines, insurance limitations, and inadequate and uncaring medical care—intertwined factors like these leave patients doomed to…
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