Roseburg VA administrators are putting veterans lives at risk while interfering with medical decisions made by staff to provide medical care

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Roseburg VA Death Panel Rejects Sick Veterans To Rig Performance Ratings www.disabledveterans.org/2018/01/02/roseburg-va-death-panel-sick-veterans-ratings/ NY Times exposed Roseburg VA’s use of a modern-day death panel, referred to as a “utilization management team” that accepts or rejects patients recommended by doctors for admission without regard to the medical opinion of the doctor seeking admission. The practice is likely […]

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Varenicline (Chantix) for Smoking Cessation Linked to Cardiac Events

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/890789 TORONTO, ON — In an observational study of patients who were prescribed varenicline (Chantix in the United States/Champix elsewhere, Pfizer) to stop smoking, treatment was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, researchers report[1].  Patients in Ontario who visited the emergency room (ER) or were hospitalized for a cardiovascular event—such as an MI or […]

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CDC guidelines: While the guidelines are not legally binding, they set up the criteria for an evolving standard related to the use of opioids.

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

A Legal Interpretation of the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/resource-centers/opioid-monitoring-2nd-ed/legal-interpretation-cdc-opioid-prescribing-guidelines The 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain has left many providers confused over the potential legal ramifications.1 Among the many gray areas, medical providers have expressed uncertainty over whether the issued guideline is legally binding. Likewise, […]

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