Tracking Your Prescription Drug Usage
The Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post both have articles today on rising prescription drug abuse among Coloradans. But the News contains an important fact that the Post (available only in paper edition as of now) overlooked: In response to an increase in prescription drug usage, Colorado passed a law last year that requires electronic tracking of prescriptions. The purpose of the law is to ferret out those obtaining multiple refills from doctors or pharmacies. The practice is called "doctor shopping," made famous by Rush Limbaugh who remains under investigation for it.
Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally, or getting prescriptions for a single drug from more than one doctor at the same time.
So, if you thought your use of prescription drugs was a private matter between you and your doctor, think again.
Comments
Submitted by A "Rush" to legislate privacy (not verified) on Thu, 2005-07-28 17:04.
Sounds like another breach of doctor-patient confidentiality. How much more privacy will we allow our government to legislate before its too late and we no longer have any? Only takes one to ruin it for the rest of us. 5 years ago our government was encouraging multiple avenues for obtaining prescription drugs. http://www.thriftrx.com/Government.htm But let a loud-mouthed Republican get hooked on something and it suddenly becomes frowned upon and legislation is needed to "stop the madness". This "tracking" will get abused as much as the drugs that inspire it. Our privacy however seems to be coming public knowledge more as time goes on and the abuse of our civil liberties seems to be less important. I'm surprised this wasn't just another paragraph in the Patriot Act, destined to become a Federal violation of our rights, instead of just a State violation for Coloradoans.
