When Equal Isn’t Really Equal
The above link is to a article that I authored and was posted on National Pain Report
These conversion tablets that you find on the web … have “buyer beware” posted on them in the footnotes that these tables are “guesstimates”.. AT BEST !
Yet it would appear that CVS is taking these conversion tables as ABSOLUTES, and the only thing that is ABSOLUTE in medicine is that if you see a healthcare professional.. someone is going to get a bill/charge for the services provided.
These conversion tablets don’t take into account a pt’s CYP-450 opiate metabolism status and it would appear that CVS does not have any intention of taking those into consideration .. because they stated in this reference guide that 200 MME/day is a ABSOLUTE LIMIT.
It would appear that CVS Health has granted itself the authority to PRACTICE MEDICINE or Dr. Troyen Brennan, chief medical officer of CVS has been told by CVS corporate or he has decided that even though he is license to practice medicine only in MASSACHUSETTS, he has the authority to oversee, dictate, limit the therapy of all the pts – throughout all 50 states – that use one of the subsidiary companies of CVS HEALTH.
Will this action by CVS Health and other insurers doing the same or similar things be the “final straw” for prescribers and their respective medical licensing board to take action against these corporate entities dictating/practicing medical care ?
I doubt that any Pharmacist or board of pharmacy will step up to the plate, because we have a serious and growing pharmacist surplus and projected by 2025 there will be 50,000 pharmacist looking for jobs that don’t exist. With two entities (Walgreens & CVS) now own abt 30%+ of all retail pharmacy outlets.. Besides most of the board of pharmacies are stacked with non-practicing corporate pharmacists… doubtful if they are going to go against the same entity that signs their paychecks.
There is already a call out to BOYCOTT CVS
https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2017/10/1/would-you-support-a-boycott-of-cvs?rq=boycott
Filed under: General Problems
How do you drop the chain when it’s apart of your Medicare plan? I don’t know of any CVS stores that fill CII pain medications at all anyway.
What is mail order Silver Script going to do?
Has anything been said? I haven’t seen or heard from anyone that’s gotten any letters from them as of yet. What about prior authorization from physicians?
This ridiculous because there’s Patients who are incurable and have severe pain.
It’s definitely time for physicians to stand up and start FIGHTING along side Patient Advocacy efforts. This SUCKS.
EVERY chronic pain patient needs to REFUSE to shop at CVS for anything. I have not been in the store since their announcement regarding opioids.