Tweet
Leading consumer advocates today called upon the legislature to hold hearings and investigate strong new laws in response to recent Los Angeles Times reports on widespread drug overdoses due to physician overprescribing and the recent case of a convicted methamphetamine-using drug-dealing doctor who will be treating patients again within a year. Consumer Watchdog asked the Governor and legislative leaders in a letter to consider random drug testing of physicians. The advocates, who have already qualified one initiative measure for the next ballot to regulate health insurance rates, said that voters would not tolerate legislative inaction.
Click here to read the full letter.
The recent Los Angeles Times series, which uncovered 71 physicians whose prescriptions have led to three or more deaths, and the decision Friday by the state medical board to allow Dr. Nathan Kuemmerle to treat patients again after pleading guilty to felony drug dealing, prompted Consumer Watchdog to call for hearings and legislative action.
“The recent investigation and past decades of experience show that patients are not safe from drug using and drug dealing doctors,” wrote Consumer Watchdog’s Jamie Court and Carmen Balber. “One in ten physicians develop problems with drugs or alcohol over the course of their careers, yet continue to practice medicine. These physicians hold the lives of patients in their hands every day.”
“Pilots must undergo mandatory random drug testing because they hold the lives of so many passengers in their hands. Physicians who operate on patients and are in a position to overprescribe or use narcotics themselves should undergo similar mandatory random drug tests,” wrote the advocates. “Patients should not have to fear being treated or operated on by addicted physicians. Unfortunately, there is little deterrence to such malfeasance, as evidenced by the medical board’s restoration of Nathan Kuemmerle’s medical license.”
The letter also urged the Governor and lawmakers to consider moving authority for oversight and prosecution of over-prescribing to the pharmacy board, as is already the case in many states, to data mine information in the state’s prescription drug database to identify problematic prescribing patterns, and to strengthen the doctor disciplinary system and preventive measures to protect patients before they are harmed.
“Prescription drug abuse by physicians is something the public will not tolerate without a remedy that’s reasonable and effective. Though any action to detect and discipline dangerous doctors will undoubtedly bring protestations from the medical establishment, the small minority of physicians that overprescribe and use drugs need to be dealt with quickly and effectively to ensure the safety of California patients. Now is the time to act,” wrote the advocates. “An overhaul of the Medical Board is four decades overdue and necessary to protect patients.”
1 Comment
Consumer Watchdog’s bid to have doctors drug tested is disgraceful and outrageous. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Now that you’re acting as a mouthpiece for Fascism Creeps, perhaps you should stop calling yourself “Consumer” Watchdog.
The “Random Drug Tests” you call for are completely unconstitutional. Article 4 of the Bill of Rights forbids Unreasonable Search and Seizure. Article 5 of the Bill of Rights forbids forcing people to give evidence against themselves.
Do you know how many current US college (& younger) students regularly use prescribed methamphetamine analogs to study? Millions of them: Should these people never be trusted and their work be considered suspect?
Do you know how many current US bomber pilots use methamphetamine under orders as part of their job? All or most of them. Should none of them be trusted and their work suspect?
This country is already the most imprisoning country on Earth, from taking political prisoners for allegedly using drugs. Now you want to create a lot more political prisoners.
Do you realize that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers are more likely to abuse illegal drugs than anyone else in our society? So targeting such people is discrimination too.
“Addicted physicians” are needlessly feared by bigots. By the way, despite Propaganda to the contrary, methamphetamine is not an addicting drug. Never was. Never can be. Have you tried it? If not, what makes you think that people using it are in some way suspect?
Pilots and college students and very young children get its analogs prescribed because it makes them more competent, alert, perceptive, and better decision makers.
You have no right to know what substance is within another person. Before your disgusting far-Right proposal can Legally and Constitutionally go through, you’ll need to get Articles 4 and 5 dropped from the Bill of Rights.
Most of the prescribed drugs that people die from could be replaced by Marijuana or Cannabis products. That would greatly curtail drug overdoses. One would think that someone protecting consumers would go there.
Now that I see where your compass leads you, I’ll be watching out for you, Corporate Watchdog.