In Robert Pear's article, "Report on Medicare Cites Prescription Drug Abuse," it was indicated that due to privacy rights hindering clear communication between physicians, beneficiaries can obtain extraneous doses of their prescriptions from multiple doctors. This is disappointing because Medicare is a system designed to help those in need, but tax dollars are instead flowing into the hands of drug addicts and dealers.
I agree with Blum that there should be an electronic system that logs a patient's medication history, confidentially, but alerts a physician or pharmacist when the same medication has already been prescribed. This seems to be the best way to maintain a close watch on patients' use of medication without breaching their privacy rights. Limiting them to one prescriber may appear to be a good short-term solution but ends up restricting patient access to care, which hurts other beneficiaries who are not taking advantage of the system.
Sincerely,
Michelle Leu
Berkeley, CA
I agree with you in that the original recommendation of the congressional investigators was very restrictive of accessibility of care. That original recommendation doesn't seem focused enough to target the problem of abuse without harming those using the system appropriately.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the electronic system seems to be a bit complicated and work-intensive as a solution. It is a great use of technology, and I do think that digitizing medical history is a step forward for health care, but it is a monumental task to ask for someone's medical history while promising utmost privacy and confidentiality. Digital records are susceptible to abuse as well, as we have seen in the past (http://www.crn.com/news/security/217400303/uc-berkeley-database-hacked-160-000-records-compromised.htm;jsessionid=w5BEEDzEEgubVgahJzxmiw**.ecappj03).
Technology is a great solution, but it raises other vulnerabilities. Perhaps a lower-tech solution is required? Thanks for your thoughts.
- Steven Chang