Alleviating Restrictions for Doctors Prescribing Drugs
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Alleviating Restrictions for Doctors Prescribing Drugs

Date: March 5, 2008
By: Erika Navarrete
State Capitol Bureau
Links: HB 2244

Intro: The issue to expand physician's rights when prescribing pain medication came before the House Health Care Committee on Wednesday. 

Erika Navarrete (Nahv-ah-rett) has more from Jefferson City.

RunTime:0:34
OutCue: SOC

OutCue: SOC

The bill would reduce restrictions on doctors prescribing pain medications.

Patient advocate for the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis, Maryann Coletti, spoke on behalf of the bill.

Coletti stressed her concerns of the obstacles patients face when accessing the amount of pain medicine they need.

The bill would update current terminology by removing the word "intractable" from The Pain Intractable Treatment Act.

Democratic Representative Sam Page is the sponsor of the bill.

Page says "intractable" is a word of the past:

Actuality:  PAGE.WAV
Run Time: 00:17
Description: "The word intractable is really no longer considered an appropriate way to describe folks that have chronic pain. We generally refer to them as cancer pain or acute pain or chronic pain but we assume that folks who are in pain need attention and the word intractable has lost its use."  


No one testified in opposition of the bill and the committee has yet to reach a vote.

Reporting from the State Capitol, I'm Erika Navarrete, KMOX News. 


Intro: Missouri lawmakers were urged to expand physician's rights during Wednesday's House Health Care Committee hearing. 
 
Erika Navarrete (Nahv-ah-rett) has more from the State Capitol.
RunTime:0:34
Actuality:  COLETTI.WAV
Run Time: 00:08
Description: "Cancer patients can have a tolerance and need higher doses than other patients when they are in certain end stages of their disease." 

No one testified in opposition and the committee did not reach a vote on the bill.

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Erika Navarrete, KMOX News.