He’s doing all of this just to get more Lunesta for his patient? Ridiculous:
When Tufts Health Plan cut a patient’s prescription for the sleep aid Lunesta from 30 pills to 10 pills a month, her physician, Dr. Stephen A. Hoffmann, decided to circumvent state regulations by writing a second prescription in the name of her husband so she could get 10 more pills per month.Hoffmann is aware that by publicly acknowledging the prescription ploy, he could be subject to disciplinary action and even criminal charges. But he considers himself a “medical conscientious objector,” and says a patient’s welfare comes before what he believes are unreasonable insurance restrictions.
“I’m willing to do something that may put me at risk,” he said. “I feel I have no alternative.”
There are plenty of other options, other than prescription fraud – such as generic Ambien or trazodone. Resorting to these guerilla tactics isn’t going to help primary care’s cause. If Dr. Hoffmann can’t stand the PCP heat, he should get out of the fire and find another line of work.
Related posts:
- Alternative therapy
- Why do patients take alternative medications?
- Front line crisis
- Energy drinks crossing the line?
- Give ‘em 3 Tylenols
- The risk and possible rejection of a face transplant
- EPO controversy
{ 6 comments }
There are several things wrong with this story:
1) why are you giving someone chronic sleep aids
2) why are you publicly admitting to fraud
3) there are better ways to fight the ins companies
4) there is no evidence that these new drugs are
superior in any way to benzos (except their
marketing)
5) you are not helping the patient by publicizing this
only yourself. you just violated your contract
to put the patient first.
b
how about asking for free samples from the drug company and giving her a few extras of those. ?
“There are several things wrong with this story:
1) why are you giving someone chronic sleep aids
4) there is no evidence that these new drugs are
superior in any way to benzos (except their
marketing)”
Some patients need to use sleeping medications on a chronic basis. The newer benzo agonists (Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta) are safer than the benzo’s; there is less chance of respiratory suppression and memory impairment.
Lunesta and similar drugs such as Ambien (zolpidem) are *habit-forming* and should only be prescribed for =short-term= treatment of insomnia. I do not believe they are approved for long-term therapy.
The fact that this patient has a Hx of alcohol abuse makes me even more skeptical about why he would prescribe this drug.
Lunesta is approved for long-term use – one of their big selling points. It’s been in use in Europe for a while. As for the patient’s history, the article states she is a recovering alcoholic. If she’s having trouble sleeping, Lunesta is probably one of the better sleep aids available.
formulator,
Thanks for noticing my error about Lunesta for long-term tx of insomnia and correcting it. You are right. I appreciate it.
brian
Comments on this entry are closed.