Hi all,
This is in response to Misery Luvs Company's question regarding filing a complaint about a physician to the medical board, the state or both. I understand why you would want to do so, and respect it, but my opinion, based on my personal and professional experience (working in the medical field as a lay person for many years) is to re-consider that tact. Here are the reasons why:
1. physicians are under the microscope when it comes to prescribing pain medications...I believe some regions of the country employ tighter controls than others, but it isn't "pretty" anywhere anymore. MLC's experience with her primary care is a good example. Though during the first visit, the physician clearly misunderstood MLC's admission (which was really just making sure the doc had all the facts). The PCs response to the situation is, in my opinion, an example and indication of the pressure she, as a primary care physician, is feeling from many different oversight bodies. On the first go-around she appropriately wrote a script to control the pain associated with a 3rd degree burn. On the subsequent visit, she accused/misunderstood/misrepresented what you had, in good faith, told her. It sounds like she backed down, wrote you one script to get out of the situation (but in her mind, she had already decided she was going to refer you out). Therein lies your dilemma, because if you complain, a reviewer might say she did the right thing as far as pain management. They might also conclude she could improve her communication skills, etc, but the bottom line is primary care physicians are being told - ad nausium -to refer pain patients to specialists....so, while a complaint might be a bother to her, the "worst" that would happen would be that the reviewing agency might make her take a course in pain management. That is no big deal to her, as in some states physician are mandated to have a certain amount of hours of CMEs (education) to maintain their license.
2. Will that complaint "cover you"? I am not sure where or how it would, but I might be missing something. My reasoning is that the path that a complaint takes is separate and apart from the provision of care and would never make it into your medical record, unless you are making it directly to the doctor, or the practice. Moreover, I wouldn't think that you would want it to be, IMO anyway...
In answer to the bigger question of what to do when you are in pain, it really depends on many different variables:
1. if you have insurance, there is a paper/electronic trail - so harder to fly under the radar - and while physician technically need your consent (HIPAA regulations) to obtain your past medical records, the information is still "out there"
2. if you are private pay - its a little easier to avoid scrutiny - but do your homework before choosing a physician, and heed all the warnings posted in this forum about "Dr. Shopping", as once you are marked, its hard to shake
3. Most primary care docs will write for acute medical necessity, but not for maintenance, most specialists, such as orthopedists, will write for a certain time period after surgery, etc...but not for maintenance, though there are still some that do
4. Pain management is a growing specialty, but their goal is to get you to a place where your quality of life is improved with pain medication and well-trained specialists will tell you so. There are still, albeit, fewer physicians who will continue to prescribe without managing the "whole" person, but even they are being scrutinized closely, and if they can't document necessity, they won't get paid and they may face regulatory reviews
5. A physician who specializes in addiction has a goal to manage just that, and more often than not, suboxone, methadone, etc...will be in their medical bag of tricks...you won't find many if any who will medicate chronic conditions with other meds....
In the U.S., the healthcare landscape is changing rapidly with the Accountable Care Act now a reality...the phrase "you can run, but you can't hide" is very true. Hence why this board is such a valuable resource for us all. Its been said before, but its worth repeating, supplement if you need to. If you have a doc who will treat you, hang on tight and don't abuse or take advantage of the relationship, as they are harder and harder to come by.
Just my two cents, I hope it was helpful /default_cool.png
