Miami Herald, Letter To The Editor
Posted on Mon, Apr. 13, 2009
Public health should be legislative priority
Re the April 8 editorial Belatedly, Florida takes on prescription-drug dealers: The unprecedented concentration of ''pain clinics'' in our community contributes to out-of-control opioid abuse, narcotic-drug dealing and endangers public health. It requires the concerted efforts of law enforcement, political leadership and the medical community to root out this problem. Several steps can be taken right now:
• Impose a moratorium on dispensing narcotics in physician's offices unless the prescribing physician is board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine and operates within a licensed and certified facility to be approved by a designated agency.
• Make mandatory monthly inspections of all pain clinics in South Florida. Skilled inspectors can be trained to randomly audit charts and on-site pharmacies and monitor patient flow.
• Conduct criminal background checks of all operators and their financial backers, which will be reviewed and updated quarterly.
• Implement a prescription-drug monitoring system to identify drug-seekers and doctor-shoppers.
• Require the Board of Medicine to suspend the license of any physician who violates the standards of care as it pertains to inappropriate prescription of narcotics.
Let's act together to rid our community of these narco-cowboys. Let's protect our families, friends and patients from such predators. We can't be afraid to call them by their name: drug dealers in white coats.
BERND WOLLSCHLAEGER, MD, president, Dade County Medical Association, North Miami Beach
Showing posts with label Message. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Message. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Message From Your FSAM President
OPEN LETTER FROM YOUR NEW FSAM PRESIDENT:
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
During its scheduled meeting on March 2nd, 2007 the Executive Board of the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine accepted the resignation of President-Elect Joe Molea,MD and voted unanimously my person as your new President for the term 2007-2009.
I am a board-certified family physician practicing in North Miami Beach, certified in Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and am a certified MRO. I have served on the FSAM Board as the Chairman of Scientific Planning Committee and Information Technology Committee, am an AMA Delegate for the Florida Medical Association (FMA), Co-Chair of the FMA Accreditation and CME Committee, Immediate Past Chair of the AMA International Medical Graduates Section, Board Member of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, Vice-President of the Dade County Medical Association, and the President of the North Dade County Rotary Club.
As your new President I seek your support to work towards the achievement of the following goals:
1.Reorganize FSAM as a full-service membership organization promoting the interest of healthcare professionals involved in addiction care, research and treatment.
2.Promote excellence of care in addiction medicine through education and training of physicians and other allied healthcare professionals.
3.Achieve cooperative relationships with other medical specialties to foster the integration of screening and intervention modalities in patient care.
4.Create a FSAM Political Action Committee (PAC), educate political decision makers about the importance of sustainable funding mechanism for community based addiction treatment modalities and advocate for the promotion of addiction care and research in primary care.
5.Establish a planning committee to design a strategic plan outlining the vision of our organization for a state-wide drug control and treatment program.
We need your support to realize the above mentioned goals. For that purpose we will utilize a List server, online newsletters and surveys to facilitate your input and will redesign our web site.
Furthermore, I want to solicit your input by forming several committees dealing with education, research, membership development, public relation and legislative issues.Please e-mail us and indicate your interest to participate in those committees.
Our new FSAM Executive Board is comprised of a team of dedicated and experienced fellow colleagues and we are all looking forward to your critique and input.
Yours truly,
Bernd Wollschlaeger,MD,FAAFP
E-mail: info@miamihealth.com
Phone: (305) 940-8717
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
During its scheduled meeting on March 2nd, 2007 the Executive Board of the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine accepted the resignation of President-Elect Joe Molea,MD and voted unanimously my person as your new President for the term 2007-2009.
I am a board-certified family physician practicing in North Miami Beach, certified in Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and am a certified MRO. I have served on the FSAM Board as the Chairman of Scientific Planning Committee and Information Technology Committee, am an AMA Delegate for the Florida Medical Association (FMA), Co-Chair of the FMA Accreditation and CME Committee, Immediate Past Chair of the AMA International Medical Graduates Section, Board Member of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, Vice-President of the Dade County Medical Association, and the President of the North Dade County Rotary Club.
As your new President I seek your support to work towards the achievement of the following goals:
1.Reorganize FSAM as a full-service membership organization promoting the interest of healthcare professionals involved in addiction care, research and treatment.
2.Promote excellence of care in addiction medicine through education and training of physicians and other allied healthcare professionals.
3.Achieve cooperative relationships with other medical specialties to foster the integration of screening and intervention modalities in patient care.
4.Create a FSAM Political Action Committee (PAC), educate political decision makers about the importance of sustainable funding mechanism for community based addiction treatment modalities and advocate for the promotion of addiction care and research in primary care.
5.Establish a planning committee to design a strategic plan outlining the vision of our organization for a state-wide drug control and treatment program.
We need your support to realize the above mentioned goals. For that purpose we will utilize a List server, online newsletters and surveys to facilitate your input and will redesign our web site.
Furthermore, I want to solicit your input by forming several committees dealing with education, research, membership development, public relation and legislative issues.Please e-mail us and indicate your interest to participate in those committees.
Our new FSAM Executive Board is comprised of a team of dedicated and experienced fellow colleagues and we are all looking forward to your critique and input.
Yours truly,
Bernd Wollschlaeger,MD,FAAFP
E-mail: info@miamihealth.com
Phone: (305) 940-8717
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)