Prescriptions for Controlled Substances to Medicare Patients is on the Rise
- January 06, 2015 by Qui Tam
- Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals
Even as the abuse of prescription drugs has escalated and the national crackdown on it has occurred, new data suggests that doctors are prescribing even larger numbers of prescriptions for the most potent controlled substances to Medicare patients.
And, along with the increase in the number of prescriptions written, physicians are under increased scrutiny, as well as facing disciplinary action. Twelve of Medicare’s top 20 prescribers of Schedule 2 drugs (those that include powerful narcotic painkillers and stimulants with the highest potential for abuse and dependence) have faced disciplinary actions by their state medical boards or criminal charges related to their medical practices.
The most recent year for which data is available, 2012, Medicare covered nearly 27 million prescriptions for Schedule 2 controlled substances. Within the past year, Medicare has started to use prescribing data to identify potentially problematic doctors, as have some state medical boards as well. Beginning in mid-2015, Medicare will have the authority to kick doctors out of the program if they prescribe in abusive ways.