To: Vanila M. Singh, MD, MACM Chief Medical OfficerOffice of the Assistant Secretary for HealthU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. May 10, 2019 Thank you, Dr. Singh and Members of the Best Practices Pain Management Task Force, for your work, An opioid crisis is plaguing the U.S., and heroic measures are in place to […]
The U.S. is said to be suffering from a crisis in deaths from opioid overdoses, prompting legislative and other efforts to clamp down on physician prescribing of these drugs. However, this effort is likely misdirected, and targeting legal prescriptions is thus unlikely to reduce overdose deaths, according to a careful review of official government data by […]
Forcing doctors to electronically prescribe all controlled drugs, as in Oklahoma proposed bill Req. No. 8141, is a “flawed and misguided” idea that will not reduce opioid abuse, writes Albert L. Fisher, M.D., president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), in a letter to Representative Charles McCall, Speaker of the Oklahoma House […]
Representative Charles Mc Call Speaker of the House Room 401 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Dear Representative Mc Call, As president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, I am writing you about a draft bill that would require electronic prescribing (E-Prescribing) of scheduled drugs. Some Oklahoma lawmakers think that more […]
The latest fad, a “free” smartphone app called Pokémon GO, has reportedly exceeded even Twitter and pornography in popularity. One hospital has banned it for employees because they were glued to their screens instead of interacting with patients.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government has jurisdiction over only three crimes: treason, counterfeiting, and piracy, writes Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) General Counsel Andrew Schlafly in the summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. “The Founders would be shocked at the degree to which the federal government is […]
Marilyn Singleton, MD, JD summarizes recent healthcare-related legislative activity on Capitol Hill. There is no question that opiate abuse – both legal and illegal is on the rise in all demographics. Congress introduced several laws last year and a rash of laws this year in response to the public awareness of the epidemic. The main […]
Marilyn Singleton, MD, JD summarizes recent healthcare-related legislative activity on Capitol Hill. Reconciliation Placed on the Senate’s Calendar H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, authored by Rep. Tom Price, MD (R-GA) would (1) repeal the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate to purchase health insurance; (2) repeal the employer mandate to […]
An unprecedented provision in Assembly Bill 366, currently under consideration in the Wisconsin legislature, puts at risk the right of patients to self pay for medical care. The bill contains a prohibition on cash payment for treatment received at pain clinics. A law outlawing the payment of cash for a legal product would seem unthinkable in […]
Marilyn Singleton, MD, JD summarizes recent healthcare-related legislative activity on Capitol Hill. Senator Mike Lee Takes Bold Step to Repeal ObamaCare The Washington Post and Freedom Works are reporting on Senator Lee’s plan to force the Senate to take a substantive vote on repealing ObamaCare. If successful, only 51 votes would be needed to proceed […]