New York City to Restrict Prescription Painkillers in Public Hospitals’ Emergency Rooms

[raging_moderate]

32. From a Board Certified Family doc doing Emergency Medicine....

There is no rational or safe reason for Emergency Departments to treat chronic pain, so there is absolutely no place for long acting pain meds (such as oxycontin, MSContin, fentanyl patches) to be be prescribed thru the ED. Period. Chronic terminal pain (end stage cancer etc) should be cared for thru primary care providers and/or hospice care. Unfortunately, we have millions of people with no insurance (until they become medically bankrupt and qualify for medicaid) which makes those options unavailable to many.

For acute pain (fractures, sprains, abdominal pain etc..) patients frequently can not get in to see their own physician or need to be seen in the ED due to the nature of their problem. Their pain should be evaluated and treated appropriately. There are times when three days may be cutting it short (pt can't get in for a recheck of referral within that time frame).

Ideally, medical providers who give narcotics out like candy because it's simply easier than doing their jobs properly (yes, I just said that) would be knocked straight by the DEA and/or medical boards as well as their colleagues and facilities they work at. Unfortunately, up to this point that has not worked.

There is no easy answer.