Doctor refused to refill pain medication?
Well after a polite yet concise email to him I got a response. Seems to be yet another communication issue with his staff. If he weren't such a good doctor, I'd have found another one years ago. I still recall him telling me right before my surgery back in May 2009 "Even if your insurance company refused to pay for this surgery, I would have done it for you for free because I know this is what is needed to improve your quality of life." His staff wasn't understanding and relaying correct information to him. This is why I am the ONLY one of his patients that has direct access to him through email. Once I alerted him of the problem, it took him literally minutes to resolve it. The entire problem was not him to begin with. I should have known considering the standard of care I have received from him all this time. My meds arrived yesterday as he promised. We confirmed our previous conversations regarding my treatment plan, proposed 2nd surgery, ect. We are now back on the same page wit
Doctor let patient run out of morphine, legal rights?
Someone I know has Fibromyalgia and is on Kadian (morphine). She tried to make a doctor appointment for two weeks, and could not get in until 3 days before her prescription ran out. She gets her prescriptions through the mail and they take at least a week to get here. She asked the doctor to fill a prescription at the pharmacy for a week's supply morphine sulfate (which is much cheaper than Kadian) , just until her Kadian arrived in the mail. The doctor refused to fill the prescription, even though she was going to run out of medication. As you know, Morphine is a narcotic, and people who abruptly stop taking it have severe withdrawal symptoms. My question is, is there anything she can do to get the doctor to fill a prescription until her Kadian arrives? What are her legal rights as a chronic pain patient and morphine user?
Why do doctors put no refills on medicine containers?
If you are a stable patient and the Rx can be refilled over the phone, call your pharmacy and request a refill. You can also call the physician's office and when they answer, say you need a prescription refill. You will then either leave a message or speak with a nurse/MA about what you need. Have the bottle in front of you. If you leave a message with either the pharmacy or the doc, leave your name, spell it, and say your phone number right away. Then say your date of birth, the Rx, the dosage (100mg 4 times a day), and how many you got last time (125 tablets). Then tell them your pharmacy, the address, and the phone number (Walgreens, 1313 Main St, Anytown, 212-555-1212). Then say your name, spell it, and your phone number again. It's much easier than it sounds. Why do physicians do this? To prevent overmedicating and to lower risks. It may also be so you can regularly be reassessed or have the proper tests, if needed.
Do pain doctors know how difficult it is for patients to call and say they need a refill before the end of the prescription month? Or do they have the idea that pain patients are all manipulative?
I have contacted my physician reporting that I had lost my bottle of oxycodone and needed a new prescription early. This was not very difficult. We had been in a doctor-patient relationship for about 25 years, and there was a good level of trust on both sides.I can only speculate about how it would feel if the physician and I did not have a trusting relationship, and I was violating a written medication use agreement that said early refills would not be requested or granted. From the other side I can tell you that it is very difficult for physicians to receive such calls. Even if I feel good about the patient and believe every word he says, there are big problems.Either the patient has taken dosing into his own hands and decided that the prescribed maximum daily dose can be ignored, or he has been irresponsible. I have an obligation to my patient to help control his pain in order to increase his function. I have an obligation to my neighbors and my patient’s neighbors not to have drugs of abuse on the street. When do I say that our agreement does not matter, and I will give you whatever you want?Are pain patients all manipulative? No, they are not. Are some? Absolutely.Lost paper Rx (back when we used them).Altered paper Rx.Spilled pills in toilet.My mother decided I was wrong to use an opioid, and she flushed them.They were stolen - from my car, from my medication closet, perhaps my son when he was visiting.I just don’t know why I ran out early.I knew I needed to have cell phone minutes so the doctor could reach me; so I sold some on the street to pay for phone minutes.The urine drug screen was positive because I am working with the district attorney’s office on drug busts. If I had’t used some cocaine, then the criminal would not have believed me.Yes, patients with chronic pain have it tough. Physicians caring for patients with chronic pain have it tough. I have played for both sides.
Can a doctor refuse to see a patient due to an unpaid bill?
I had an emergency surgery performed in September of 2009 and today (after SEVERAL trips to the ER this weekend), my doctor, SAMIR AHUJA, is refusing to see me due to the balance on the account, at the time the surgery was performed i was under the impression that i was covered by medicaid insurance (who had dropped me without notice in June 2009). I told my doctor i was willing to get on a payment plan and begin paying the balance (even though it's not technically my responsibility), and he STILL refused to see me... is this legal? Trying to figure out what to do next seeing as though my condition COULD be life threatening, but we don't know for sure since he didn't see me today. So can a doctor refuse to see a patient due to an unpaid bill? Seems a little unethical to me, and FYI all the doctors that answer this question- yes i am fully aware of the overhead cost of a private practice and yes i do believe doctors should be paid... but this isn't a question of ethics or protocol, this is a question of LEGAL issues because as far as i've read you're not allowed to terminate a patient physician relationship without notice.
Is it legal for a doctors office to withhold a patients prescriptions until they pay their bill?
Is it legal for a doctors office to withold a patients prescription until they pay their bill in full before they ever get their statement? I had some labs done and when my husband went to the doctor he went to pay his co-pay and the finance lady told him that we owed a bill. My husband said my wife has an appointment the end of the week and she takes care of our finances. She told him that she couldn't give him his prescriptions until the bill was paid in full. My husband asked her if we were late paying the bill and she said no. So he asked her when they had sent their statements out because he was sure we hadn't received ours yet. The finance lady said that they hadn't sent them out yet, they send them out around the first of every month. This was on the 22nd of the month. My husband said are you telling me I have to pay a bill that I haven't received and isn't even due yet or you won't give me my prescriptions? She said yes, we require this from all of our patients. Is this legal? Doesn't a person have a right to get their bill and look it over? I can't believe that they can withhold your prescriptions and make you pay a bill that hasn't been sent and isn't due. I could understand this if you had a past due account, but not for those who keep their bill paid in full and is never late. Please give me your opinion on this and any information you might have to help me with this. I will appreciate any comments our advice. Thanks in advance. I live in the state of Idaho.
Is it legal for a doctor to refuse to refill meds because i refused a blood test, not related to meds i take?
It is a blood glucose test, I have had them done repeatedly over the years and they are always negative. I just have a borderline high blood sugar, been that way for 36 years. I did have some other blood workups done regarding the same problem for her all of them returned borderline. She then refused to refill the my meds till I have the bloodtest done. Is this considered etheical? They are for heart and stroke problems.
Can I sue for my doctor refusing to refill life-sustaining medication?
Bear with me here... it's the weekend and I went to refill my medication but my Rite Aid is out of it. I have brain lesions and had surgery for a rupture in my brain that left me partially blind and with violent seizures. The pharmacist said I will have to call my Neuro and have him call the script into another pharmacy in the area that has it in stock. I called the office and got the answering service. The woman on the line said she will not page the doctor and that this is not a true emergency. My seizures are severe and the doctor has diagnosed me as a life-threatening case. Without these meds I can die. Those were his exact words. So what should I do now? I will be going into seizures after the drugs leave my body and I feel this is his offices fault. Thoughts? The medication
Can a doctor legally refuse to write your prescription for failing a drug test?
Yes. Especially if you are on a “drug contract” not to take any illicit drugs or medication not prescribed by that doctor. Your doctor becomes liable for your health when treating you and must know any medications legal or illegal you are taking to prevent giving you a medication that might harm you or have a lethal side effect when combined with other medications.You and your doctor must have a relationship obased on trust and honesty and the result of breaking that trust can have serious consequences. Your doctor could lose his license and you could lose your life.Depending on your medical issues, your doctor may give you enough of your maintenance medication to give you time to find another doctor to treat you and/or may request you enter into a drug abuse treatment program. Most doctors will put a letter in your chart outlining why you are being fired as a patient and steps taken to address your future compliance with treatment.If you have an addiction be honest at the start of your doctor/patient relationship, A journey of a thousand steps begin with one step. I encourage you to be honest and take your first step towards sobriety. Your doctor is more than willing to walk alongside you if you are ready for recovery.