MIAMI — On Tuesday, CVS/pharmacy notified some Florida doctors that it will no longer fill prescriptions they write for a number of controlled substances, such as the popular and addictive painkiller, oxycodone. The decision was made after Florida enacted a new law to crack down on pill mills, including monitoring prescriptions for narcotics through a new database that was created earlier this year to prevent doctor shopping.
“While we regret any inconvenience this may cause for our customers, we treat the dispensing of controlled substances with the utmost care and seriousness,” CVS spokesperson Michael DeAngelis told Reuters in an emailed statement.
DeAngelis said letters were sent to a small number of physicians announcing the decision, which only applied to prescriptions presented at Florida retail pharmacies.
Not only do Florida doctors prescribe ten times more oxycodone than all other states combined, but the Florida Attorney General’s office reports that the state is the primary source of illegal prescription drugs in the eastern United States. This new notion will hopefully reduce the amount of patients undergoing drug rehab in Florida.
Paul Sloan, President of the Florida Society of Pain Management Providers, believes that this movement will hurt certain people who need the medications. “This is just another hysteria driven response to a problem that is based on false data provided by Florida medical examiners and law enforcement,” said Sloan.
Dr. Jeffrey Zipper, Chairman of the Medical Affairs for the Academy, also showed discontent towards the decision by CVS in an email to members.
“They’ve made a business decision, and from my perspective, I’m going to make a business decision to send my patients elsewhere.”
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