BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor physician has been reprimanded by a state licensing board for improperly prescribing drugs to patients complaining of chronic pain.
Kevin Miller must stop prescribing controlled substances for the treatment of chronic pain, unless he has a chronic pain patient in a skilled nursing facility or long-term care facility, in hospice care or who has metastatic cancer, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine. Miller agreed to the restrictions in a Sept. 11 consent agreement with the board.
The concerns about Miller’s care included a lack of examinations and adequate medical records and monitoring. The licensing board cited the absence of written controlled substance contracts, and said Miller apparently allowed patients to self-regulate prescribed medications and get early refills.
All disciplinary actions by the board are reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank, the Health Integrity and Protection Data Bank and the Federation of State Medical Boards Action Data Bank. The board is charged with protecting the health and welfare of the public by verifying the qualifications of physicians to practice and disciplining physicians for unprofessional conduct and incompetence.
There are many more who should be.
There are some practitioners that probably should be more regulated, however, some really good docs are going to get caught up in this witch hunt. A lot of rural practitioners, have many patients and continue to take on more to meet the demand of some areas. For some, the real problem is lack of paperwork. The state wants to see the contracts, that patients sign saying they won’t seek drugs from other sources, won’t use drugs not prescribed for them etc. They want to see more urine tests, which occur at the patient’s expense to make sure the prescribed drug is 1.) in their system, and 2.) that recreational drugs or diverted drugs are NOT in their systems. I realize Maine needs to curb the use and abuse of certain drugs, but patients who are legitimate pain patients, have demonstrable reasons to take pain meds are the ones really getting screwed here. Addicts know how to find their substance of choice on the streets, those of us with legitimate problems cannot (and most would not) do the same. I was switched from a working narcotic, to which I had NO addiction, to one far stronger and to which I did become addicted, because the state wanted more control of a substance I took in very small amounts.
I asked for and received help with addictive substance so I am no longer taking it. However, times when the script was written late etc. I would get so sick, it was awful. I am happy to be without that problem.
Universal National Health care, like in most industrialized countries, address most of those concerns.
In what way? Please be specific…
So, that’s pretty light for pushing drugs.
I can’t figure out why he is still able to practice at all?!?!?!
Well how about that. I asked when they were going to go after these types of doctors on the other feed and here we have it. Keep up the good work and lets do more than just a slap on the wrist shall we. They are no better than your typical street dealer in my opinion.
You know, some of us in very real and chronic pain cannot get the drugs that work because of the jerks who abuse them. Docs don’t want and right ly so, to become the target of investigations and are now underprescribing because of that fear. I’ve learned to cope for now, but what about when I can’t any more? What is my option then?
WEED dummy
opiates are not the best thing for chronic pain. They’re not!
You know this from experience or because someone told you that or you read it somewwhere?
Kobu is 100% correct. They are a short term fix for chronic pain that only leads to dose escalation and decreased tolerance to painful stimulus. It is a FACT. I would have put some links in here but there are just too many. Google it my friend. Narcotics, except for in very certain disease states (cancer patients being one), should never be taken for more than 2 weeks. For most people, after 2 weeks your body starts to develop a dependence to them.
Didn’t disagree, just wondering where the information came from. I don’t take much of anything the government says as being honest or true.
Pot, my friend.
With a little sip of J.D.,,,:)
I agree with Bustd. Why do drug companies bother inventing these pain meds if patients who truly need them won’t be able to get them because others choose to abuse them? And signing one of those controlled substance contracts is quite insulting if you ask me. Why should I be subjected to random drug testing just so I can treat my pain? People who are suffering with chronic pain are looked at as potential drug abusers just because we have chronic pain and are asking for some relief.
I agree with you and Bustd to an extent. But stop and ask yourselves where all the opiates come from? A lot of them are sold by people to whom they were prescribed.
Why do drug companies bother inventing pain meds? Because they can and have grown incredibly rich by doing so. They mislead doctors by telling them the drugs aren’t that addictive. They encourage use for every kind of moderate pain. Maybe even less than moderate. It really is shameful.
“They mislead doctors by telling them the drugs aren’t that addictive” ….really??? You do know it is 2012 right? If your doctor can be so easily mislead, and doesn’t already know the dnagers of narcotic medications, then i would suggest you move on and find yourself a new doctor.
What was the name of the practice that held his license? Anyone know?
He was at Husson Family Medicine
What do you mean when you say was? Did they let him go? He is the lead physician there.
There are also docters that want or should be giving better pain relief but are afriad to.
Here in lies the problem….
Doctor mis-prescribing pin meds….now there’s a shocker! They all should be charged with trafficking and loose their license. The people who are suppose to be helping us are killing us with legal drug trafficking and getting kick backs from the drug companies.
Please provide link of article of Dr. who got caught receiving kickbacks from drug companies for prescribing meds…I will check back frequently to see your many links.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/03/dr-drew-glaxosmithkline-promote-drugs_n_1647045.html
He is my doctor and has been for 17 years. What am I going to do now? I did have a contract, was never allowed them early and was called in for urine tests so this shocks me. I am in severe pain all the time. He actually took me off my narcotic pain meds and put me on Tramadol because he felt that I needed a break because my tolerance would get too high then they wouldn’t work. This is weird. I see him next week for an appointment about how I am doing with my pain. This is going to be very strange!
Kevin is a great physcian, I am surprised by this and sad to see a wonderful doc have his reputation tarnished.
The article doesn’t give much detail. Is the licensing board made up of physicians, and do they know the case history of all of the patients who were “over prescribed”? The article doesn’t say that any of his patients were found to be selling their pills, as some posts have implied. As far as the early refills go, don’t most pharmacies regulate that? Medical care should be between doctor and patient.