Pubdate: Mon, 10 Nov 2003
Source: Savannah Morning News (GA)
Copyright: 2003 Savannah Morning News
Contact:  http://www.savannahnow.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/401
Author: Clare Parris-Wyrick

DOCTORS CAUGHT WRITING ILLEGAL PRESCRIPTIONS

Several months ago there were many articles in the Morning News about the 
dilemma doctors are facing because of the rising cost of insurance due to 
medical malpractice lawsuits.

Doctors allege that the suits have caused fees for their services to 
skyrocket. Perhaps overbilling the patients' insurance companies have 
occurred, but doctors seem unwilling to realize the high cost of insurance 
premiums paid by their patients.

I have no idea how to remedy that, but only 5 percent of civil suits are 
for medical malpractice. However, this letter is to address a problem much 
more serious than insurance.

For the past eight to 12 months the Drug Enforcement Agency and Counter 
Narcotics Team have been arresting doctors in Chatham and other counties 
for drug trafficking, writing illegal prescriptions and perhaps using 
illegal drugs themselves. We won't be hearing much about it, though, as 
every effort is being made to sweep it under the rug to protect the guilty 
doctors.

I urge all people who are patients of these doctors or who might know 
someone who is a patient, to speak out now. This is much too dangerous to 
allow them to go back with just a slap on the wrist.

The irony is one can hardly get a doctor to prescribe pain medication to 
those who truly need it, yet they have no compunction about writing 
prescriptions for thousands of pills for profit.

CLARE PARRIS-WYRICK

Savannah
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