Study Shows Medicare Recipients Receive Prescription Painkillers from Multiple Doctors

According to a new study, one in three recipients of Medicare go to multiple doctors for prescription painkillers, which can increase the risk of complications and hospitalization.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, researchers looked at data from 1.8 million people enrolled in Medicare Part D, who receive prescription painkillers, especially opioid painkillers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine.

The research team discovered that 35% of Medicare recipients go to more than one doctor for prescription painkillers.

“Patients with four or more prescribers were twice as likely to be hospitalized for narcotics-related complications than patients receiving the same number of prescriptions from a single caregiver,” study co-author Pinar Karaca-Mandic, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, said in a press release.

“As physicians, we tell patients not to drive when they take opioids, but we also need to tell them that it can be dangerous to receive these medications from more than one provider,” said study author Dr. Anupam Jena, an assistant professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School according to HealthDay.

According to the study’s data, 23.1% of patients received prescription painkillers from two providers, while 9.5% went to three providers, and 7.9% went to four or more providers.

“I thought it would be 5 to 10 percent. When we ran the numbers and it turned out to be 30 percent, we were shocked,” said Jena.

Going to multiple providers can also indicate prescription painkiller addiction, which is on the rise across the United States. Last year, the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services released a study that identified more than 417,000 unauthorized or potentially fraudulent prescriptions paid for by the Medicare program since 2009. That included both initial prescriptions and refills from pharmacies. The study has led to serious questions about Medicare fraud and the program’s ability to monitor abuse of its services.

A report from South Carolina’s attorney general last year showed that the southern state ranked 10th in the United States for prescription painkiller addiction. At the time, there was no plan in place to combat the problem, but McConnell’s proposal could help.

Prescription Painkiller and Drug Fraud in South Carolina

The state of South Carolina has some of the toughest illegal drug penalties in the nation, including for prescription painkiller drug fraud. Whether the prescription abuse is due to addiction, normal pain management, or for profit, prescription drug fraud is a drug crime in South Carolina, and can lead to serious consequences, including imprisonment and the loss of a professional license.

In 2006, the South Carolina General Assembly authorized DHEC’s plan to establish the South Carolina Reporting & Identification Prescription Tracking System (SCRIPTS). The program allows DHEC’s Bureau of Drug Control (BDC) to monitor prescriptions and dispensation of Schedule II, III, and IV drugs, which are some of the strongest and most addiction prescription drugs on the market, and are often the targets of prescription drug fraud.  Pharmacists must register with SCRIPTS and give the BDC information including their dispenser information, the prescribing doctor’s DEA number, the date and quantity of drugs dispensed, and approximate number of days supplied. This allows the BDC to figure out if a patient is taking too much of an addictive medication, or gathering too many refills to sell the drugs.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Prescription Painkiller Abuse Charges in South Carolina

If you have been arrested for prescription painkiller abuse or drug fraud, you face stiff penalties and a ruined reputation. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm will investigate your case from every angle, determine whether an illegal search took place, and seek to have your prescription painkiller abuse charges reduced or even dismissed. Contact the prescription fraud attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case. We will investigate your case from every angle, determine whether an illegal search took place and seek to have your charges reduced or even dismissed. 803.252.4800.