Under a proposed rule [6] unveiled Wednesday, the Drug Enforcement Administation would allow doctors prescribing Schedule II drugs [7], such as morphine or Oxycontin, to fill prescriptions for 90 days instead of 30 days. Currently, pain patients can only get 30-day non-refillable prescriptions, requiring them to make additional visits to the doctor's office just to get a new prescription written. Doctors and patients have complained that the DEA's strict regulation of Schedule II drugs has forced doctors to limit their prescriptions, with patients going untreated as a result.
At a Wednesday press conference in Washington, DEA administrator Karen Tandy attempted to signal that the agency was hearing those concerns. "Today's policy statement reaffirms that DEA wants doctors to treat pain as is appropriate under accepted medical community standards," said Tandy in remarks reported by the Associated Press [8]. "Physicians acting in accordance with accepted medical practice should be confident that they will not be criminally charged."
While the number of doctors who faced federal charges over their prescribing practices is relatively small, it is increasing -- from 38 in 2003 to 67 last year. Other pain management physicians have faced state criminal charges of administrative sanctions, and pain patient and physician advocacy groups complain that the agency is interfering with and having a chilling effect on the practice of pain medicine.
The move was welcomed by the American Medical Association, with AMA board member Dr. Rebecca Patchin telling the AP it was a step toward improving the care of pain patients. "Relieving suffering while doing everything we can to prevent the abuse of controlled substances reflects appropriate patient care, a standard which is easier to achieve when a strong patient-physician relationship exists," said Dr. Patchin. "We need to provide access to pain relief for patients with legitimate needs, and the DEA proposal would help in doing this."
Others were less sanguine. "Ms. Tandy states here, as she has on many occasions, that doctors need not fear criminal prosecution as long as they practice medicine in conformity with what these drug cops think is 'appropriate,'" said Siobhan Reynolds, president of the Pain Relief Network [9]. "If that isn't a threat, it will certainly pass for one within the thoroughly intimidated medical community."