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.
