This is such a shame, I just wonder if this surgeon told this pt prior to the surgery that the surgery would “resolve his back pain”. Of course, no surgeon can “promise” that surgery will “correct the problem”. Apparently the pt had reach out to the surgeon to get something to help him manage his pain. It would seem that the surgeon ignored the pt’s repeated contacting the surgeon/office about pain management and this story would suggest that the pt’s requests had been ignored and/or the pt’s request for pain management was DENIED… this is not clear from this article.
Could this surgeon be just an employee of the Saint Francis Health System and just following the mandates of his corporate employer about how many days or how many doses a pt can be provided post surgery for pain management ? If so, could some exec, committee or BOD be responsible for implementing such “one size fit all” pain management policies… which could be the genesis of this tragedy. Even if any of this is true, guess who will get blamed for this tragedy ?
My money is on that if this pt had just went to the surgeon’s office and committed suicide in the waiting room of this office… NOTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN ON ANY MEDIA.
Tulsa shooting gunman targeted surgeon he blamed for pain, police say
A letter found on the gunman “made it clear that he came in with the intent to kill Dr. Phillips and anyone who got in his way,” Franklin told reporters. “He blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the surgery.”
It was the latest in a series of mass shootings in the U.S. including the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and an attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Over the weekend in Taft, Oklahoma, a woman was killed in a mass shooting during a Memorial Day event that also left seven people injured, police said.
Phillips was an orthopedic surgeon with an interest in spinal surgery and joint reconstruction, according to a profile on the clinic’s website. He once served as lead physician for Tulsa’s WNBA team before the franchise moved out of state, according to the Tulsa World.
Dr. Cliff Robertson, president and CEO of Saint Francis Health System, called Phillips a “consummate gentleman” and “a man that we should all strive to emulate.” He said the three employees who were killed were “the three best people in the entire world” and that they “didn’t deserve to die this way.”
Police believe the gunman bought his weapons legally, Franklin said. The gunman bought an AR-style semi-automatic rifle on the afternoon of the shooting and a handgun on Sunday, the police chief said.
Franklin praised the law enforcement officers, 911 operators and emergency responders for their “immediate response” to the attack. Police responded to the call about three minutes after dispatchers received the report at 4:52 p.m. and made contact with the gunman at 5:01 p.m., authorities said Wednesday.
“Our training led us to take immediate action without hesitation,” he said. “That’s exactly what officers do and that’s what they did in this instance.”
The length of time it took police officers in Uvalde to engage the gunman during last week’s deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School has become a key focus of that investigation. Officers waited over an hour to breach the classroom where the 18-year-old gunman attacked with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle, killing 19 children and two teachers.
The spate of recent gun violence across the country has led to Democratic leaders amplifying their calls for greater restrictions on guns, while Republicans are emphasizing more security at schools. Bipartisan discussions are also being conducted.
The White House said President Biden will deliver a primetime address Thursday night to talk about gun violence.
Filed under: General Problems
What happened in Tulsa was horrific for everyone involved. This incident should be looked at carefully by the US government, its agencies, LE and others and before making any new policy or law in reference to this incident, the powers that be should ask themselves why it happened in the first place. There is usually a reason why someone does something like this and the powers that be should make a point to find out that reason.
This should not be a gun issue either. Those who want to make it a gun issue, especially chronic pain patients, should stop and think about it before jumping on this bandwagon. A gun is a “tool”, like Rx opioid pain medication is a “tool”. Both can be dangerous and cause harm if used improperly. Just because there are a few in this country that misuse these tools, the majority should not be punished because of the few. Different regulations may need to be put in place, but an all out ban on either of these tools should not happen. It’s time personal responsibility makes a comeback in this country. It’s not the tool that law-abiding, responsible people use that’s dangerous and causes harm/death, it’s the person misusing that tool.
Very well said, I agree 100%
JMO,,,IF ANDREW KOLODNY/PROP POLICED PUBLIC POLICY VIA THE DEA ,CDC GUIDELINES,,THIS WOIULD OF NEVER HAPPEN’D,,,JMO,,MARYWjmo
It does have to stop but sadly it won’t. In the end my bet is they tag him as a mental patient or even worse, a dreaded drug seeker. You highlight what I have been trying to get people to realize, the provider has a stack of people in orgs like the umbrella medical group, the hospital administration, insurance, the DEA, all who have no business in the physicians office and don’t have any grasp or understanding of what the patient requires. Even if the provider used to prescribe adequate pain medication, “they” all the outside forces have made it so difficult a provider reaches a point that prescribing opioids or sedatives that the patient’s outcome would be better, simply isn’t worth the risk. We don’t matter anymore. But an addict who goes on MAT with meds that are opioids and sedatives or anti anxiety meds, well heck, they can be placed on them for as long as the patient, not the doctor, sees fit. When it comes to spinal surgery the ads overwhelmingly spout how back pain can be relieved quickly and simply. I have read too many stories on FB, in groups from pain patients learning after the fact, spinal surgery often makes the pain worse. I have a neighbor about three years ago who had severe back pain, she was in her mid to late 70’s a lot of it age related. Her surgeon put hardware pretty much up and down the spine, did a spinal fusion. Her post-op pain was horrendous, something she was not warned about. She was told her now fully metal support system would help. It didn’t and he finally admitted it would be 5-7 years before it improved. That begs the question why would any physician perform a complicated spinal surgery on a woman who was her age? Why would he after the fact admit how long it would really last or worse yet not admit her pain until she died would most likely be far worse and he is not an exception.? I don’t get it, it’s so wrong. Oh yeah, was her pain controlled at all? No.
Your comment about the layers of imbeciles poking their nose in the Dr/Pt relationship hits the mark, in my opinion.
It is a shame that abortions are immediately covered with no consult or discussion and people get outraged when someone suggests that the fetus IS a live human being,.. yet pain meds are considered a public health menace and cannot be allowed.
RvW is more about Dr/Pt privileges and privacy…not really just abortion, but the ability of the Dr/pt to come together and choose treatments.
It seems that if anyone with two brain cells sparking would be able to see that, then MAYBE we pain management patients would be taken more seriously.
Instead everyone jumps on the Choice/Life argument and forget the larger ramifications.
Then again BOCare interfered severely with everyone’s care.
it really is very simple to me,jmo,,,the doctor didn’t give a shit about this mans life,,ie forced physical pain via denial of effective amounts of medicine,,soooooo the murderer didn’t give a shit about the doctors life,,thee ole eye for an eye,,,Right or wrong,,that is the mentality i see,,,u don’t care about his wellbeing,,then why would the patient give a crap about the doctors wellbeing,,,,ie u take my life,,illl take your,,,jmo,,very simple,,,,,,wrong,,,maybe,,but this is going to happen when u have idiots like kolodny,dea,prop,cdc to practicing medicine when they know nothing about medicine,,,When u allow a psychiatrist to make FORCED policed public policy,,,the mentality will change,,,,ie when the system fails,,,u make your own system,,,,when justice fails,,,u make your own justice type tihng,,,,jmo,,maryw
[…] PT called the clinic repeatedly complaining of pain and specifically targeted the doctor who perform… […]
The hijacking of healthcare by For-Profit Corporations began in earnest in the 80’s …… apparently there was too much money to be made to leave it in the hands of providers. It’s been downhill ever since these 3rd parties began controlling the process.
Who cares what Biden has to say? He’s involved.
He murdered them just as did the CDC, PROP, along with all physicians and legislators who put forth and accepted this bizarre, horrid guideline that leave Americans in sheer agony. Our military, our elderly, our children, cancer patients and all those with chronic pain and acute pain now. What’s their agenda other than humiliation, intimidation, torture, deliberate suffering, genocide, suffering until death.
These policies are in 103 countries now… shame shame shame.
Opiates: God’s only medicine.
Opium is from a natural plant, used for over 5,000 years. The addiction rate is less than 1 percent.
Illicit fentanyl is used in the drug trade that’s brought in from Mexico and China.. No physicians are responsible, yet they are raided and arrested, Stop arresting our physicians. Give the people back the only pain medicine god left for us. Now
Blaming Biden for the shootings is wrong! I’m assuming you think he should have done more with gun control??? If so, then blame the republican party because the democrats have been trying for a long time to change the laws but the other party won’t cooperate (including at this very moment and after every mass shooting this year)! Also, this has been going on for a long time, so not just with this administration! As for the issue with pain patients suffering, this too didn’t just start when Biden took office! Trump is who ordered the DEA to reduce the production of opioids every year for several years in a row – and he did NOTHING to help pain patients either (look it up)! PLEASE leave political parties out of the opioid issue (or don’t blame it on just one party at least)! We have enough REAL issues and people to blame that actually has caused pain patients to suffer, without blaming a president you don’t like because I’m assuming you’re a republican!
thanks for reading my blog, I know that this is your first time to post a comment.. This blog post has to do with the results of our healthcare system not wishing to deal with pts having subjective disease issues (pain, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD & the entire array of mental health issues.. where there is no black/white hard & cold lab tests that the pt has the particular subjective disease and/or how the disease is impacting the pt’s QOL. Unfortunately, the educating of healthcare professionals has drifted toward focusing on treating diseases pretty much totally based on some sort of testing. The prescriber has to believe the pt’s description of how their various subjective disease issues is impacting their QOL… or they don’t believe them and provide little/no therapy because they have no tests to base their therapy treatments on. controlled Congress and not renewed by a controlled Congress.. Who was in control of Congress that passed the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 ? – which created the “black drug market”, Who controlled Congress when the Controlled substance act was pass in 1969 ? . In the early 60’s who controlled Congress that passed the Medicare act with no provision for covering medication for Medicare folks ? … and who fought in the early 2000’s against the creation of Medicare part D to provide medication coverage for Medicare folks ? Who was in control of Congress that passed the ACA ? and now a decade later at least 10% of our population has no medical insurance.- a number that is similar before ACA was passed. Our country is a mess and there is enough blame for both parties. The current administration is controlled by 2 attorneys, the head of HHS is an attorney, it is claimed that 40% of Congress is attorneys and the DOJ was put in charge of dealing with the mental health issue of addiction… I notice a theme here !
You are correct that Trump did nothing to help pain pts, but it was reported that his Brother was a alcoholic and contributed to his premature death. So he had some personal experience with drug addiction. Here is a article https://www.hop-law.com/dea-announces-lower-2017-opioid-production-quotas-amid-painkiller-overprescription-concerns/ announcing that the DEA were going to reduce opiate production quotas in 2016 by 25% – who was President in 2016 ? I suspect that the DEA was working on this announcement for a year or two. Prescribed opiate Rxs peaked in 2011-2012… after the federal Decade of Pain Law expired in 2009-2010 – which was passed by a
We have a ingrained two party political system.. in 1992 Ross Perot got almost 20% of the votes and was not able to get ONE ELECTORAL VOTE
The prescriber has to believe the pt’s description of how their various subjective disease issues is impacting their QOL… or they don’t believe them and provide little/no therapy because they have no tests to base their therapy treatments
Well, even with tests that definitely show a problem, I still have difficulty with my so-called pain management doctor. I’m about ready to say *the hell with it* and …well, you know…
yes there could be a test that shows that there is a “problem” but I am not aware of any test that definitely determine the intensity the pt’s pain nor at to what degree a subjective disease is compromising the pt’s QOL.
I was responding to Sami who was blaming biden for everything and called him a murderer. I’m well aware that the “opioid crisis” started a long time ago, yet some people want to blame Biden for it! Just tired of hearing this when not one president in office since opioid prescribing started getting reduced, has done anything to protect the pain patient. Instead of placing blame on the president, people should be focusing on what they can do to educate their legislators and actually try to fight for all pain patients and innocent doctors. Oh and I’m sure I’ve commented before but it has been a long time 🙂
I knew that, sooner or later, it would come to this. Patients are angry, and in pain… But there’s no call for THIS type of action! If anyone is to blame, it’s the alphabet government agencies for coming up with, and enforcing these policies in the first place!!!
An incomprehensible tragedy for the gunman, surgeon, receptionist and another patient.
President and V.P. want ” Lawmakers to act.” Perhaps if the Regs., ” lawmakers” had addressed the National PAIN Crisis instead of scapegoating PAIN pts for the OD’s and deaths caused by illicit opiates, cocaine, etc., the OK tragedy would not have happened. The nemesis goes back to the 4/2016 roll out of “Guidelines for GP’s to Prescribe Opiates” for sure. The guidelines not intended for pain clinicians were suddenly mandates and laws for all holding a DEA license! The Feds, Regs, then the states, insurers and everybody else jumped in. Pain clinicians and pain patients were both left to suffer and bear the consequences. It’s been six ( 6) years since cdc’s guidelines turned mandates and laws and what’s been done in these 6 yrs alone other than having the end result being a disaster, millions of pain pts left undertreated, inappropriately treated for PAIN, or UNTREATED and without pain clinicians!
Meanwhile, the OD and death rates from ILLICIT opiates, cocaine, street drugs has only continued to skyrocket.
Patients have been left to suffer. Pain clinicians have their hands tied or risk losing their licenses to practice.
While we do not know the details re this OK tragedy, I ponder if this gunman/ patient who underwent spine surgery 5/19 received appropriate immediate post op pain mgt. and pondervif this began to what came to be an escalated situation of continued unaddressed
from possibly continued inadequately treated pain? Yes, it’s passed the time for lawmakers on Fed and State levels to ACT and stop the ridiculous, unnecessary, draconian suffering of pain pts. The promotion of ” Opiate free” post op care offered by many facilities today needs to stop. Severe acute pain deserves appropriate treatment, just as chronic, intractable pain pts left suffering deserve individualized and appropriate pain mgt. Time for lawmakers to stop the head in the sand approach and focus on the needs of PAIN pts suffering and allow those holding dea licenses to care for their patients. Then and only then will travesties such as the OK horror will be halted.