Coverage for vacation, illness, etc

[MChaplin]

this is a tragic example of why the 100 patient limit makes no sense

[fishdoc]

A DATA 2000 certified physician with 100 patients on buprenorphine passed away suddenly over the weekend. Any suggestions on how to treat his patients?

Any docs near Akron Ohio able to help? All the docs I know are at their maximums.

[MChaplin]

relapse can indeed be lethal and that is a very good point-

[drpasser]

Relapse****ociated with WDRL Sxs can be lethal.

[MChaplin]

I also make sure to the best of my ability that no one is due for a refill in my absence. Refill requests that come up while I am away should be limited to people who missed an appt or didn't take their medication as prescribed. Those situations are "on them" and they have to wait for me to get back. Opioid wdrl is unpleasant but it isn't lethal. And in the contract it states that prescriptions will only be filled at scheduled appts. So as long as I am diligent about scheduling correctly there are no issues.

[adavid]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. However they are all workaround to an untenable situation. For over 100 years medicine has been practiced in the civilized world with the requirement that physicians cover for each other. Coverage is an absolute necessity. Patients need medical care even when their own physician is not available. No matter how well you prepare for contingencies one cannot foresee all. This is a unique situation in our medical world for which we need a solution.

[NoDrugs4u]

I'm with you, i61164. And welcome to the board!

[i61164]

If I know I am going to be out one week, I will try to either schedule my patients for the week before, or write their prescription for an extra week. That way, I have no appointments scheduled for the week I am out of the office.

[jmosby1469]

K

[kcairns]

Hugo's Javert, though obsessed with "the law is the law" learned mercy and died for such. Adavid's Javert has yet to learn that "once a thief , always a thief" does not apply to addicts who are by law denied treatment. Society must learn we must care for the health not only of individuals but also of populations in re such as good pregnancy outcomes, childhood environment and education. All society needs to learn that behavioral illness, when untreated, drives peoples' actions to become antisocial but with correct treatment, a person's behavior most often becomes prosocial and s/he gains ability to hold a job, support his/her family, obey laws and save society all the prison costs. And laws can be changed. ASAM Weekly News 10/21/14 asks members to support recommendations that would "season justice with mercy", educate re the evidence base of addiction treatment and enhance both public health and public safety. "He who opens a school door closes a prison" Victor Hugo