State may test anti-'doctor shopping' database in Broward County

Broward County within two years might become the state's testing ground for a database that would help crack down on "doctor shoppers," those who visit multiple doctors to get an excess of potentially lethal ...

[rich finkel]

Why does our government spend so much time worrying about whether or not somebody likes to get high when the very prohibition like laws that keep the underground drug market festering are causing more harm and crime than the drugs themselves?

[Concerned]

Would this be called the rush limbaugh law? Get caught and deal your way out.

[NWChiTown]

Wow, no one could fool this system, unless, just maybe, they could somehow figure out how to travel the great distance to either Palm Beach or Dade county. Na, they'd never think of that!

[Milena]

Broward doesn't have the funds to ensure the law Florida resisdents passed in 2002 regulating class size is enforced but we somehow have money to waste on this crap? If they want to kill themselves, let them!

[VERY NEEDED]

This program is not something that we want it is NEEDED. I use to work for a pain management office, and i can tell you that the amount of people doctor shopping is UNREAL.

This program could not only stop this, but save lives as well...

I would say that 6 out of ten people are seeing 2 or more doctors, and as long as you have some kind of medical MRI, or something to say your in medical need of these medications and you have the $$$ to pay the office visit, it is a buffet to drug users and abusers.

People drive from all states to come to South Fla, and go from DR to DR and go back home.

These doctors are NOTHING MORE THEN LEGAL DRUG DEALERS, who are making millions sitting behind a desk and writting scripts all day and collecting money.

the program cost does not compare to the lives of people abusing the pain clinics and the pain clinics feeding the need of abusers..

As long as you have office visit fee every month, and some proof of a injury, you can get into any pain center. there are fake MRI's, people change the reports it is unreal and FLA NEEDS TO TAKE CONTROL.

[Bravo]

Concerned wrote:

Would this be called the rush limbaugh law? Get caught and deal your way out.

No, it's the Mandy Dawson law..get busted then get re-elected

[Informed]

The problem with Roxies is that they are prescribed pretty easily by pain doctors. The 30 mg dose, also known as "blues" is a very powerful and addictive opiate. A person predisposed to addiction soon finds themselves taking in some cases 20 a day. A doctor usually prescribes a monthly dosage of 120 or so. The generics cost about $1 a piece at the pharmacy, but have a street value of about $15 a pill. So a very addicted individual is through with their monthly supply quickly, looking for more on the street. Going to several doctors and getting as much as 6 or more separate scripts filled gets say 720 a month. This results in say $11,000 of street value. Considering that most of theses people are unemployed or minimum wage people.....

[DarkStorm]

We need the Libertarians to take control of this state.

If people are doctor shopping, let them. As long as they don't hurt anyone else or commit victim crimes.

It is a victimless crime. Police should only be around to make sure no one gets hurt (other than yourself).

There are plenty of robberies, murders, assaults and other real crimes that need the man power to do instead of people that pop pills.

Broward is becoming a damn police state. I can't drive at least 2 blocks without seeing cops having someone pulled over for going 10 mph over the limit. There are better things for them to do and in the cas of traffic laws, if people down here learned to drive defensive/aggressive at the same time their would be a miniscule amount of accidents.

If anyone has ever heard the comedian Doug Stanhope who is a very good topical comic, he talks about this. Even though he tries to put it in the context of a comedy bit it is very true. He has the same style of George Carlin.
From Doug's analogy "Vice cops aren't real cops, they are just paid buzz kills. Real cops fight real crimes. What you do to your own body is your own business. Every vice is a punishment in itself. You gamble you lose your money, You use too many drugs you can kill yourself, you use prostitutes it diminshes your taste for women that would have you. Every vice is a punishment in itself.

Yet state sponsored gambling (Lotto), tobacco, liquor, beer are all legal.
Why? Probably because the state gets money from all of them.

The police and the stupid a** laws in this state make me sick. And since I can stand the thought of moving elsewhere or afford it for that matter I just have to grit my teeth and bear it since I don't see them changing for the better anytime soon.

[Lesculie]

Yeah like we need the butterfly ballot crowd reviewing our prescription histories. These are the same folks who decree that wiretapping telephone calls to mideast ratnests violate our liberty. Wilton Manners, no less.

[Tim in Wilton Manors]

Just spend and spend...it's no big deal...

what's $1.6 million these days???

[Patriot]

DarkStorm wrote:

We need the Libertarians to take control of this state.
If people are doctor shopping, let them. As long as they don't hurt anyone else or commit victim crimes.
It is a victimless crime. Police should only be around to make sure no one gets hurt (other than yourself).
There are plenty of robberies, murders, assaults and other real crimes that need the man power to do instead of people that pop pills.
Broward is becoming a damn police state. I can't drive at least 2 blocks without seeing cops having someone pulled over for going 10 mph over the limit. There are better things for them to do and in the cas of traffic laws, if people down here learned to drive defensive/aggressive at the same time their would be a miniscule amount of accidents.
If anyone has ever heard the comedian Doug Stanhope who is a very good topical comic, he talks about this. Even though he tries to put it in the context of a comedy bit it is very true. He has the same style of George Carlin.
From Doug's analogy "Vice cops aren't real cops, they are just paid buzz kills. Real cops fight real crimes. What you do to your own body is your own business. Every vice is a punishment in itself. You gamble you lose your money, You use too many drugs you can kill yourself, you use prostitutes it diminshes your taste for women that would have you. Every vice is a punishment in itself.
Yet state sponsored gambling (Lotto), tobacco, liquor, beer are all legal.
Why? Probably because the state gets money from all of them.
The police and the stupid a** laws in this state make me sick. And since I can stand the thought of moving elsewhere or afford it for that matter I just have to grit my teeth and bear it since I don't see them changing for the better anytime soon.

what an ignorant misguided fool u are. these same drug users and drug dealers are the ones that slaughter mother and daughter in a mall parking lot in broad daylight.

these are the same junkie low lifes who blast cops patrolling a walgrens parking lot. a police state is what u need in that hell-hole run by thugs and illegals.

u think drug addicts only bring harm to themselves? ur just an idiot, or probably a drug user urself. next time u go to buy ur drugs keep in mind ur funding these criminals and keeping them in business.

[Pompano Fred]

I wish you were not right....but you are spot on. A database is a form of a scientific study. Studies like these, if carefully planned, can give valuable information about the extent of drug "shopping" and get help to those who need it.

The planning involved in a database type of study must include careful thought about who might enter the study, how they enter the database and ways that someone might avoid scrutiny in the database if they didn't want to appear on the radar screen, so to speak.

A correct beginning would be to include anyone who visits a physician in Florida. It is my understanding that the Florida Drug Enforcement people have access to all narcotic prescription records. It shouldn't be singularly difficult to have a computer look for patterns of illegal use and illegal prescriptions.

NWChiTown wrote:

Wow, no one could fool this system, unless, just maybe, they could somehow figure out how to travel the great distance to either Palm Beach or Dade county. Na, they'd never think of that!

[Pompano Fred]

For that matter, doctors get letters from time to time from HMOs which ask similar sorts of questions about meds so I must conclude that these organizations have access to prescribing data since they have to pay for them (applies, obviously, only to those who have insurance....certainly not all of those patients who might constitute a problem)

[Whoopee]

anybody got any perc's

[NBS]

you are forgetting about the people that have real pain and need these doctors to help them live a normal life avery doctor has this thing about guiving pain medication long term no matter if the patient needs it or not this bill should put doctors on the spotwho neglect to give pain medication as needed and make them pay for they inhumane crimes against the people that need the medications. This mentality has led to so called doctor shoppers this bill wouild do nothing for anyone. If you don't agree I hope you need to see an orthopedic sergeon for a prcedure that is long in the recovery and let them cut you off cold, let you deal with the pain on medication that eats your stomach and liver (Tylonel and advil).see what you think then tell us where the problems lies. The abusers are the cause of this articale not the people that have cronic pain. Its like having the Govermernt quit feeding the poor let there children starve and die its the same gesture!

[pain]

VERY NEEDED wrote:

This program is not something that we want it is NEEDED. I use to work for a pain management office, and i can tell you that the amount of people doctor shopping is UNREAL.
This program could not only stop this, but save lives as well...
I would say that 6 out of ten people are seeing 2 or more doctors, and as long as you have some kind of medical MRI, or something to say your in medical need of these medications and you have the $$$ to pay the office visit, it is a buffet to drug users and abusers.
People drive from all states to come to South Fla, and go from DR to DR and go back home.
These doctors are NOTHING MORE THEN LEGAL DRUG DEALERS, who are making millions sitting behind a desk and writting scripts all day and collecting money.
the program cost does not compare to the lives of people abusing the pain clinics and the pain clinics feeding the need of abusers..
As long as you have office visit fee every month, and some proof of a injury, you can get into any pain center. there are fake MRI's, people change the reports it is unreal and FLA NEEDS TO TAKE CONTROL.

I hope you herniate a disc you moron and take over th counter pain medicine until you need an organ transplant. and have them still tell you to get a tens unit to deal with it try and keep a job

[Sensible Voice]

A) This program is an outrageous intrusion of government into our personal lives.

B)The progarm would benefit few people relative to the cost. Saving people from their own stupidity isn't feasible.

C) The waste of taxpayer money is no less offensive if it can be accomplished with "State" rather than "County" funds.(Hello, if more State funds weren't being wasted on stupid things like this those funds could be funneled to the Counties to reduce property taxes).

Jack, stop spending more taxpayer dollars and go back to reducing property taxes, which you and your cronies in Tallahassee failed miserably at doing. We want to hear about how you are going to shrink government, not expand it!

[VERY NEEDED]

For your information not that it is any of your bussiness, I have 2 herinated discs and 2 buldging and nerve damage, and i have NEVER seen more then one doctor.

There are legit people in pain and use there meds like prescribed, and do not sell them on the streets,and these people do not worry about a script database becasue there doing NOTHING wrong.

You are really defensive, would you have something to worry about.

Many Doctor shoppers are caught by there insurance companies, they deny a med becasue it was just gotten from another doctor, and they send the Dr. where the med was filled, who filled it and the date.

If someone is taking there meds they way they are suppose to and after a while they do not help the pain as much they can talk to there doctor and normally they will adjust the dose or change meds, it is called TOLERANCE and anyone that has been on narcotics for long periods will develop a tolorance, that is NOT a reason to run to 2-4 different doctors.

What these clinics need to do is start inforcing the contract the clinet signs when they come for there first appt, stating they agree not to see any other doc for there pain medications..

pain wrote:

<quoted text>I hope you herniate a disc you moron and take over th counter pain medicine until you need an organ transplant. and have them still tell you to get a tens unit to deal with it try and keep a job

[plus]

there is no public record exemption so all of the records in this system will be public record.

[victim mom]

VERY NEEDED wrote:

This program is not something that we want it is NEEDED. I use to work for a pain management office, and i can tell you that the amount of people doctor shopping is UNREAL.
This program could not only stop this, but save lives as well...
I would say that 6 out of ten people are seeing 2 or more doctors, and as long as you have some kind of medical MRI, or something to say your in medical need of these medications and you have the $$$ to pay the office visit, it is a buffet to drug users and abusers.
People drive from all states to come to South Fla, and go from DR to DR and go back home.
These doctors are NOTHING MORE THEN LEGAL DRUG DEALERS, who are making millions sitting behind a desk and writting scripts all day and collecting money.
the program cost does not compare to the lives of people abusing the pain clinics and the pain clinics feeding the need of abusers..
As long as you have office visit fee every month, and some proof of a injury, you can get into any pain center. there are fake MRI's, people change the reports it is unreal and FLA NEEDS TO TAKE CONTROL.

To the person who said drug addiction is a victimless crime: You are wrong...dead wrong. My son is a drug addict and trust me when I tell you the people who love them and deal with the chaos of their lives are victims. An addict looks for any excuse to use...drugs are poison to them and yet somehow because they are prescribed, they think they are no longer suffering from addiction. Anyway, I just wanted to say that there are truly victims in this scenario...I'm a brokenhearted mother who has seen the carnage of drug abuse.