DEA takes months to do investigations on bad doctors. Then one day they arrest the doctor, and just shut the doors, leaving patients whit no where to turn. Because they see a bad doctor, doesn't mean they're bad patients. The majority are ligitimate pain patients, with documented reasons for their pain. A few are people abusing the system, abusing the drugs they obtain, and creating problems for ligitimate patients.
DEA should bring in a physician trained in pain management and allow patients who agree to be seen at their regular appointment. The physician could review their charts and assist the ligitamate pain patients with medications until they can find a new physician. The physician could also identify patients who appear to be abusing or selling their medications.
When Dr Yeh was arrested, patients were left with no where to go, and the suicide rate in our county took a significant jump. It's difacult to identify some suicides by pain patients. A number of years ago I investigated a number of deaths by chronic pain patients,
Some patients saved up medications, and were written off as overdoses, some were suspicious single vehicle accidents, and one was suicide by cop. He said good by to his family, created a situation, then walked out pointing an uloaded handgun at police, who had no choice to to shoot. There comes a time where the pain wins, and you just give up.
There needs to be somehow DEA can assist ligitimate patients, while identifying those abusing the system when physicians are arrested. After all, they spent months doing the investigation, spend 30 days following up with patients.
If you know someone who committed suicide due to chronic pain? These deaths need to be documented, please email me at leapspeaker@gmail.com
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