Posted on Thu, Jul. 19, 2007
Prescription-pad rule decried
By KEVIN FREKING
The Associated Press
Pharmacist groups are mobilizing in an effort to delay implementation of a new law that requires Medicaid patients be issued prescriptions on tamper-resistant pads.
The law takes effect Oct. 1.
Most doctors, including those in Texas, don't use such pads regularly.
In the end it's the patients who would suffer if they go without their medications while doctors switch to the new pad requirements, said Dr. Paul Convery, Baylor Health Care System's chief medical officer.
"Patients may get caught in [the] middle," he said. "That would be a terrible thing if that happened."
The law is designed to make it harder for patients to obtain controlled drugs illegally and easier for the government to save money. But the quick start date leaves little time to educate doctors and pharmacists.
Reaction
"Our members are absolutely flabbergasted that they're going to be put on the hook for denying prescriptions if something is not on a tamperproof pad," said Paul Kelly, vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. "Our biggest fear is the negative impact this could have on patient care and access to prescriptions."
Pharmacists' groups have asked lawmakers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to delay putting the law in place.
"Millions of Medicaid beneficiaries may not be able to obtain their medications after Oct. 1," they said in a recent letter to lawmakers. "This could lead to higher Medicaid costs for emergency room visits, hospitalizations and physician office visits if medication cannot be obtained in a timely manner."
Steve Hahn, a spokesman for the centers, said the agency has no plans to change the Oct. 1 date. Meanwhile, it is consulting with healthcare providers and preparing guidance on how to comply with the law.
Several states already require tamperproof prescription pads, Hahn said. They usually require them only for controlled drugs, those easily subject to abuse.
Texas doctors
In Texas, doctors are required to use the tamper-resistant pads only when they write prescriptions for strong narcotics, said Tom Banning, deputy executive director of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians in Austin.
That requirement does not apply to the vast majority of prescriptions that are written.
"What this would do is set up a two-tier system in which one class of patients -- Medicaid patients -- would be required to have tamper-resistant prescription pads while the vast majority would not, " Banning said.
The tamper-resistant pads often contain a chemical that reveals when efforts have been made to alter the paper. For example, the heat from a copier may cause the word 'void' to appear. Sometimes, the pads contain serial numbers that are entered into a computer by the pharmacist so that they can be matched against a doctor's order.
Medicaid is the federal-state partnership that provides health coverage to about 55 million poor people. President Bush had recommended the requirement for tamperproof prescription pads in his 2008 budget.
The Congressional Budget Office projected that the requirement would save taxpayers $355 million over the coming decade, mainly through preventing fraudulent prescriptions.
Staff writer Jan Jarvis contributed to this report.
Online: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
www.cms.hhs.gov.
Star-telegram.com
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace