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If the opioid settlement agreements result in shortages of prescription opioids for patients with legitimate medical needs, those patients may face significant challenges in pursuing legal recourse against the participants in the agreement. Here are key considerations: 1. Legal Protections for Settlement Participants The settlement agreements were designed to resolve litigation and include provisions that […]
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I find it interesting that in this article this statement – As for Walgreens, recent litigation revealed that the pharmacy used an “honor system” rather than conducting regular audits of pharmacists’ prescribing patterns Pharmacists do not have prescriptive authority and has neither the training nor facilities to do an in-person exam, but make some sort […]
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The Deadly Cost of Drug Busts: How Law Enforcement Fuels the Overdose Crisis https://www.cato.org/blog/deadly-cost-drug-busts-how-law-enforcement-fuels-overdose-crisis Two years ago, I reported on a study published in the American Journal of Public Health that examined data from Marion County, Indiana, covering the period from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, to determine whether changes in the number […]
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Not Even Regulations: The CDC’s guidelines alone created increasingly harsh conditions for Americans with chronic and severe pain. https://substack.com/home/post/p-159290287 Trish Randall Mar 17, 2025 President Trump’s first week in office included an order effective til at least February 1st, suspending all CDC, HHS and NIH communications: regulations, announcements, reports, advisories, updates and online posts. This aligns […]
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Continuing resolution keeps government funded, skips health care, PBM reform https://ncpa.org/newsroom/qam/2025/03/17/continuing-resolution-keeps-government-funded-skips-health-care-pbm-reform Last week, the House of Representatives passed the slimmed-down government funding legislation without PBM reform. On Friday, the Senate took up consideration of the funding bill. Senate Democrats threatened to shut down the government, attempting to negotiate potential amendments as well as introducing their […]
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The End of Compounded GLP-1s: What Physicians Need to Know https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/end-compounded-glp-1s-what-physicians-need-know-2025a100063o For the last 2 years, compounded versions of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) medications have been big business. Nearly 137 million American adults are eligible to use these costly drugs to treat diabetes and obesity, or for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. That’s more than […]
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Do you remember all those wild fires in and around Los Angeles, Calf a few months back. Most of those fires were started from a spark, a camp fire, or other such things. Those fires torched some 90 sq miles. Just look at the CDC opioid dosing guidelines – as a spark – The VA […]
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America’s aging population faces a growing shortage of geriatric care https://www.businessinsider.com/geriatric-care-aging-population-boomers-healthcare-nursing-homes-doctor-shortage-2025-2 There’s a growing problem for older Americans: doctors who specialize in geriatric care are dwindling. More than 80 million Americans are expected to be older than 65 by 2050, according to the US Census Bureau. However, geriatricians are in short supply, which could complicate […]
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Five Things Patients With Low Back Pain Need From Their Doctors https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/114573 Hopelessness. Fear. Isolation. These are the feelings reflected in the stories we heard from people living with low back pain (LBP) who participated in two focus groups held by the Duke Clinical Research Institute These patients, members of our 300-person “Spine Squad,” volunteered […]
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