On-line Medicine and SB 242, HR 380, S 980
On-line Medicine and SB 242, HR 380, S 980 |
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| SB242 & HR380, S 980 | What You Can Do | Track The Bills | Guestbook | Resources TOC | Letters From Chronic Pain Sufferers | About Us |
Participate in an anonymous survey about your
experiences with obtaining Medicine online. | An important Study, Described Below is now live and available to the Chronic Pain or Anxiety Patient who has at some point availed themselves of Online Medicine. The Survey is unbiased and anonymous. Your participation is encouraged |
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| This site changes with the times. If you are counting on
getting older and maintaining your quality of life, they'll soon be some more
very worthwhile reading here. Please This Site and keep
reading! We must be pragmatic as well as pro-active! We're working on a proposal for a hybrid solution that would eliminate the main issue the regulatory agencies have with Telemedicine - The lack of a face to face visit, at least once or yearly with your prescribing Doctor. |
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Project Selene: Link to Survey |
| Important Note: Our inclusion of Dr. Boyer's Research
Study below is included strictly because of its newsworthiness for Chronic Pain
Patients who have utilized Online Resources. It is possible that some
Chronic Pain Patients may be able to participate in Dr. Boyer's study. It
is essential to note that any opinion or link to resources appearing on this
site does not necessarily represent the opinion or endorsement of Dr.
Boyer. All other material appearing on this site represent the individual
opinions of those who see a future for the Internet and the delivery of
maintenance medications to those in need of such.
Dr. Boyer, as such, is interested in finding out what the truth is behind the "Online Consultation Service" - "Internet Pharmacy" and whether it is a viable method of medical care - without the hyperbole that the popular media is obliged to include in any accounts that are reported on slow news days or as ratings gambits. Do not think of Dr. Boyer as an "advocate for the Online Pharmacy", per se. He is unique in that he is the only credentialed (and highly so!) individual we've heard of that is actually attempting to produce an unbiased study of the "Internet Pharmacy" and all that entails. We can accept his findings, be they positive, negative or somewhere in between. At least we know an unbiased professional has taken the time to do substantial research into a subject so grossly misunderstood by the American public. |
Project
Selene - Dr. Edward Boyer -
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And now more on the immediate threats Telemedicine faces
from misguided efforts of politicians, the media and Law Enforcement Agencies
Alerts, a serious threat to the reputable Online Medical Providers! |
Urgent
News: 05/2007 - The threats keep
coming, more painful bullets for the Chronic Pain Patient to further endure.
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There are many bills floating around the various legislative bodies designed to ruin what has become a viable method for adults, not teenagers, to obtain maintenance medications for chronic pain and anxiety. The latest bill to come to our notice is S 980 - `Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2007' - which unlike the other languishing bills before our legislators, zeros in on Telemedicine. The bill contains dangerous language based upon 'urban legends' and the long gone early days of the 'wild, wild, web'. Nowadays, most Telemedicine providers are self-policing and would better serve a large, painful portion of the population in need, through regulation - which no one is against. This punitive legislation would mete out prison sentences to healers more severe than those given many rapist and murderers. Changes need to be made for there to be a workable Telemedicine, but they should come through clear, reasonable regulation, not impossible to meet standards designed to sneakily destroy the future that medicine and the internet can share. Parts of this latest bill are reasonable. Any responsible patient does want to see the doctor and pharmacy's licensing information clearly on the website. The only reason we see little of that now is because it invites DEA harassment based on what is their interpretation of current law. What's happening now to Telemedicine is wrong on so many fronts. It's complicated to articulate some of the issues involved since they involve subtle interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act, but we will try in days to come. More bills are springing up as an election year approaches. They vary little in substance. The one element they have in common is to capitalize on the lack of consumer awareness of the role the Internet can play in Maintenance Medicine. In their ill-researched justifications for playing heroic saviors, they rely on the same 'urban legends', gross exaggeration and deliberate omission of facts. It's up to us to present a truer picture for the American public at large! |
| As of this posting, March 2007, there is a serious threat to
the chronic pain and anxiety relief so many have found though legitimate
resources on the Internet. The common perception is that any medical
entity doing business on the Internet is some sort of "pill mill"
freely dispensing pain or anxiety medications with a click of the mouse and a
credit card. However among the vast array of Medical Resources that can be
found on the Internet are services that put to rest the "pill mill"
theory and behave just like 'Brick and Mortar' Medical Practices that have
failed so many or are out of reach for so many sufferers because of lack of
insurance, limited mobility and numerous other reasons.
Admittedly, the Online Consulting Services have some work to
do to help improve their image, but our efforts can help. From the injured and
sick in Tennessee who are all but ignored to the vast number of aging Americans
who must deal with chronic pain for a long, long time - the OCS plays a vital
role. We can't let medical needs be controlled by law enforcement.
We're becoming a big loud voice in America and that counts as votes! Pain
Management Clinics and Pain Management Doctors can't service such a huge
population of those in need without overwhelming insurance companies with the
temporary fixes of injections and physical therapy. That's assuming you
have the insurance to cover it. Almost a majority of Americans are now
without health insurance! Meaningful pain relief from the tried and true methods is our
right! Of course, for many of us suffering from intractable pain, the
relatively "mild" short acting Schedule III pain medications available
through Online Consultation Services most certainly help, but there is a need
for many of those patients to be better served by a Pain Management Clinic or
Pain Management Doctor who can prescribe the Schedule II medications that, I
REPEAT, are not available on the Web through Online Consultation Services. |
Two identical Bills are before the House of Representatives and
the Senate that will seriously threaten the well-being of an untold amount of
chronic pain patients. Please read below!Official Name: Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2007
Read The House Bill - HR 380 - particularly SEC. 7. INTERNET SALES OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
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According to govtrack.us, bills go first to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise bills before they go to general debate. The majority of bills never make it out of committee.-- That don't mean we can sit tight though!! Now's the time to have our say! |
Telemedicine has a future. We are it. Patients who have benefited
greatly through the availability of Online Consulting Services are in the best
position to get the truth out. Almost all of what the media reports is
designed to be titillating and so poorly researched (if researched at all), that
we generally laugh at the misconceptions. However, unless we become
proactive as far as protecting its future, we won't be laughing for long!
Please seriously
consider writing your Senator and Congressperson about these identical bills
that are currently pending that would virtually eliminate the availability of
Telemedicine while it's still in its infancy:
Go to thomas.loc.gov
Look on the middle of the page for "Search Bill Text"
Check the Radio Button for "Bill Number"
Search for ANY of these bills:
SB 242
HR 380
SB 980
Acquaint yourself with what they are planning. You're hurting, you can argue
many of those points that are important to use better than a lawyer -
specifically the portions under SEC. 7. INTERNET SALES OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
SB 242 - The Senate Bill
HR 380 - House of Representative Bill
SB 980 - The Senate Bill
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Find your respective Reps:
Look for your state Senators
Find your
congressperson who votes in the House
You CAN write a meaningful and poignant letter describing our needs
and under-treatment. They'll be surprised that the OCS didn't simply cater to
"drug addicts" and "street sellers", but people with
desperate pain and anxiety conditions with nowhere else to turn. Feel free to
read letters contributed by fellow Chronic Pain Patients
If someone more articulate than I contributes a good "starter"
sample letter, I'll be happy to publish its contents. However, I
personally feel that tons of identical letters obviously copied from the same
source don't have the same meaning as a letter in your own words
describing your personal reasons for needing Telemedicine to survive.
Don't feel you're not a writer and you may not spell every word right and use
perfect grammar. It's what's in your heart that may just change
some elected official's mind on this issue that they generally know so little
about.
Our numbers are greater than many realize and are not
confined simply to the membership of various pain message boards, the largest
which contains the most up-to-date and credible information is epharmacywatch.com
. I believe we can make a change and again, I feel Telemedicine has a
definite future.
Your interest, as is everyone's, is appreciated and I do hope you get to cast a
vote even in this modest effort.
Go to: govtrack.us
1) You may need to register with an email address and nickname.
2) Go to the 'Find a Bill' textbox and enter 'HR380'.
3) Follow the instructions to 'vote' on it and add a short (2-3 line) comment.
4) You may also want to click the button that says "Start Monitoring".
This will give you email updates on this bill.
5) You may also want to compose a letter to the sponsor, Rep. Rahm Emanuel and some of the
co-sponsors (there is a link to those officials we elected underneath) of
this misguided bill which can also be done from the site. That is a little
tricky and you will have to persevere. The Govtrak site is a little buggy from
time to time.
Sample "starter letters" for those who wish to write their elected officials but have writer's cramp or simply don't know where to start are especially welcome. I'll try to dig up some correspondence I've sent over the years to elected officials. In fact, one letter I sent was published in USA Today back in 2004 during a similar crisis. How about that?
| Please consider signing this petition from the American Pain Institute - They're AGAINST pain, not FOR it, BTW |
| Another Non Profit Organization The Pain Relief Network, working for the rights of Chronic Pain Patients |
| Health care for older Americans is just one of
the many issues that AARP
takes seriously and is probably the most well known group of its kind.
Their full name, The
American Association for Retired People has become a misnomer over
time. You only need to be at least 50 years of age to join. Their
modest membership fee brings access to all sorts of benefits and discounts - and
you needn't be retired, much as you may like to be.... Their vast Contact Page gives you an idea of all the different areas they've taken an active interest in that affect older Americans. This webmaster is a member - 50 years of age seemed to come at me out of nowhere suddenly!  |
| Strictly a valuable information source and not an
"activist group" as such, any Chronic Pain Patient should spend some
time at THE place where we can commiserate with others like ourselves on
the day-to-day issues facing the Chronic Pain patient. Perhaps their motto
should be "You heard it first at epharmacywatch.com"
because you most certainly will! Believers in Freedom of Speech, epharmacywatch.com may have some forums you may consider "disagreeable", but they are sincere, can't be "bought" and have much information about Online Consultation Services (more than you can absorb in one reading!) and much information about Activism and Health in general. If you find epharmacywatch.com helpful, please support them by becoming a VIP member. It's a truly modest fee. Reading a little bit of what folks like yourselves have to say over there and you'll realize you're not alone in the despair, frustration and of course, pain that we all share. |
| Association of American Physicians & Surgeons - This highly respected and recognized organization of Physicians & Surgeons are making their collective voices Heard regarding the 'War on Doctors' who treat chronic pain patients with adequate amounts of narcotic medication. |
Table of Contents For This Site
| Editorial |
| Some Stuff on the Sad State of the Times |
| Use your Common Sense |
| Some Media Reports on Telemedicine spanning the history of the Internet. They only demonstrate how little the perception of Telemedicine has changed in the eyes of the sensationalistic media. Read one, you've read them all...... |
| If you need Help with a substance abuse issue.... |
| More to come very soon. |
About Us
Sadly, the general public as well as their elected
officials have blindly accepted the myth that "medication combined with
Internet" must be something nefarious and needs to be abolished.
While the identical bills cited below cover a lot of territory with regards to
medical reform (I'm not smart enough to understand it all  ), there is one troubling section
that would wipe out services that have allowed perhaps hundreds of thousands of
Americans to obtain proper and responsible care at least since the 21st. century
began - the Online Consultation Service.
While many of the areas covered in the two identical bills are no doubt beneficial to the American public, scroll down to SEC. 7. INTERNET SALES OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. The current wording would effectively eliminate the ability of Doctors to treat patients on a maintenance basis which is the main function of the modern Online Consultation Service! Several canards have developed and it is up to the Chronic Pain community to educate the luckier public at large as to what the Online Consultation Services provide and what they're all about: 1) It's virtually impossible for minors to "fool" the doctors who review the strict records demonstrating a chronic condition as well as a full recent physical exam that attests to the patient's general condition. Such breaches may occur, but is a rarity given the "checks and balances" that only the savviest of young people could possibly surmount. They'd likely fail in their efforts so many times that they'd give up before finding an Online Physician they could fool and find an easier "source" not involving the Internet to obtain medication to which they're not legally entitled. 2) In my experience and the experiences of many who I know personally or correspond with, the Online Physician is not simply "pushing prescription buttons hundreds of times a day" (as I have read in many obviously poorly researched media accounts). Instead, these doctors who specialize in treating the myriad of conditions that can cause intractable pain take far more time assessing our conditions than our harried PCPs who fit many patients into a 15 minute time slot. 3) You cannot order medications at will in any quantity you desire from the responsible Online Consultation Services. The amounts prescribed are conservative, but adequate to at least relieve much of the pain we'd otherwise treat with dangerous amounts of Tylenol based OTC medications. Strict refill policies are adhered to, licensed pharmacies dispense all medications and very frequent updates of your medical records are demanded by the Physician who is providing maintenance medications of already diagnosed conditions. 4) Online Physicians do not diagnose your condition. That diagnosis must have been previously established and updated by your own PCP. The Physician at the Online Consulting Service merely continues the treatment based on your 'Brick and Mortar' Doctor's findings. 5) The only medications that are prescribed by an Online Consulting Service fall into the Schedule III, IV or V schedule as per the DEA's medical scheduling guidelines as set forth in the Controlled Substances Act. To those unfamiliar with that terminology, that means you cannot order the OxyContin, Percocet or other drugs that fall into the higher Schedule II. While a blind search of the Internet will turn up many sites officering these medications, virtually none will do anything except scam you out of your money. After reading this straightforward page from the DEA website, all your questions should be answered (assuming you are a lawyer with a medical degree!) All Online Consulting Services are operate within the United States. A careful study will reveal that the spam or websites you find during a search for the Schedule II medications are mostly foreign based, conveniently located outside of the US. First that class of medication is not available in most other countries, second their remote location puts them outside of the reach of US Law Enforcement. This means anyone who is desperate or foolhardy enough to pursue these medications have little to fear when they take your money and deliver either nothing or some medication that is far from what was promised. |
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| Chronic Pain Patients support legislation that would
recognize and regulate to some extent the practices of the Online Consultation
Services. Admittedly, there are websites that skirt all laws out there
that do need reigning in to protect the consumer from charlatans attracted by
the easy money. With the largest aging population in the history of
mankind, there are far more pain sufferers now than at any time in history, at
least since modern medicine has developed the means to provide safe comfort for
many of those in need. However, an outright ban of Telemedicine for the
general public would have devastating consequences for those who are able to
contribute to society, pay taxes, enjoy full and meaningful time with their
families. Without such resources available to the general public, we'll
have a larger and larger segment of the population bedridden, on disability or
both. That's why it's so important for the Chronic Pain Patient, those who
have relatives who suffer intractable pain and those who don't know what
misfortune may befall them tomorrow to make their views known concerning the
portions of these proposed identical bills that would amount to an outright ban
of the use of the Internet as an adjunct to the medical care that's only going
to become more necessary as more of our older population ails in the years to
come.
The Internet is still in its relative infancy. Just to put this into perspective, recall that perhaps 5 years ago, only the most daring would give their credit card numbers to any merchant for an online purchase. Well, that sure has changed. As will the use of the Internet as an asset to medical care in the years to come. We must make every effort to make our views known so an outright prohibition (which would ultimately be repealed in years to come) of medical treatment utilizing the Internet for some portions doesn't become law! |
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| How bad can it get for the Chronic Pain patient?
Read the worst case scenario, the story of Richard Paey, a martyr for the cause
of Chronic Pain patients. There was no question he was a legitimate
Chronic Pain patient, suffering the most intractable of pain from Multiple
Sclerosis and failed spine surgery. In order to lead some form of a life
worth living, he required massive doses of pain relief. Were he selling it on the street, he'd be called a "dealer". However, Mr. Paey needed medication simply to survive. He surely wasn't selling any of the precious medication that allowed him to maneuver his wheelchair. He ended up in an untenable legal position where he now is serving 25 years in a Florida prison. Read his story, you be the judge: Help
Free Richard Paey!
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The News Program 60 Minutes told Mr.
Paey's story in a documentary. It is available on DVD
DVD |
Remember, no matter what burdens each of us must
endure, there are those throughout the world suffering far worse on a regular
basis. Consider yourself lucky to live in the wealthiest country in the
world.  |
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Help Those in
Need Anywhere in the World Through The IRC - |
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Donate Now - There are many ways to help the lifesaving work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
None of the information offered on these pages or any pages that we link to is intended to take the place of your doctor's advice. If you are suffering from any ailment or symptom which has not been effectively diagnosed, please seek medical attention promptly. It could save your life!
