In 2014, 10,574 people died of heroin overdose while 15,778 died from an overdose of psychiatric medications, nearly 50% more

Psychiatric Medications Kill More Americans than Heroin www.rehabs.com/pro-talk-articles/psychiatric-medications-kill-more-americans-than-heroin/#disqus_thread We often hear the shocking fact that deaths from heroin increased nearly 5 fold (374%) between 1999 and 2014, but rarely – if ever – do we hear that deaths from psychiatric drug overdoses have increased nearly 4 fold (278%) over the same time period. The data […]

when laws conflict… pts suffer ?

A new wrinkle in the cannabis/rights issue: 17-year-old Native American man was issued a cannabis card through Alternative Wellness, a consortium of physicians I work with. He had sustained a back fracture as a passenger in a car crash at age 16. He was offered opiate therapy and declined. He has found cannabis to help […]

Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Laws

The Medical Board of California has launched investigations into doctors who prescribed opioids to patients who, perhaps months or years later, fatally overdosed

The Medical Board of California has launched investigations into doctors who prescribed opioids to patients who, perhaps months or years later, fatally overdosed. The effort, dubbed “the Death Certificate Project,” has sparked a conflict with physicians in California and beyond, in part because the doctors being investigated did not necessarily write the prescriptions leading to […]

Someone – at CVS – refused to fill Rx because of high dose – that a pt has been on for DECADES – thrown into cold turkey withdrawal

Steve, It’s a weird situation, Employer got on the phone with Caremark yesterday and verified I can fill that prescription and they would cover it. They even called the pharmacy and were told all they were waiting for was my Dr to verify the prescriptions. They claimed their phones were down for 24 hours. Now […]

Caremark announced a new Rx drug management prgm excludes from coverage some new treatments that do not meet ICER’s cost-effectiveness benchmarks

A little known group is making decisions about which Orange County lives are worth living https://www.ocregister.com/2019/01/21/a-little-known-group-is-making-decisions-about-which-orange-county-lives-are-worth-living/amp/ In August federal officials offered a strategy to help bring down healthcare costs for consumers. The affordability and accessibility of health care coverage continues to be a kitchen-table concern for Orange County residents and their families. The California legislature […]