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Elderly nursing home and hospice residents suffering from extreme pain are being denied painkillers because of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) crackdown on narcotics abuse.
Pain relievers like morphine and Percocet are controlled by the Controlled Substances Act, and tougher enforcement of this act has some pharmacists reluctant to allow long-term care residents access to these powerful drugs.
Drug abuse in nursing homes is an issue of concern to the DEA, and in order to prevent abuse of controlled substances the agency requires signatures from doctors and additional approval when specific pain medications are ordered for residents. This is in attempt to keep nursing home staff members from stealing or abusing the narcotics.
Two Senate Democrats are pushing to revise the DEA rules to allow nursing home and hospice residents easier access to pain relief. In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., the pair asked for a legislative fix for this issue, which, they contend, is causing "adverse health outcomes and unnecessary rehospitalizations, not to mention needless suffering."
Virginia pharmacies that don’t follow the DEA’s strict rules face fines that can reach to the tens of thousands of dollars. This has made pharmacists reluctant to dispense these painkillers, especially after a federal crackdown in Virginia earlier this year.
There is not yet a DEA or Justice Department response to the Senators’ letter.
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