Politico: Palliative Care Patients Affected by the Opioid Crisis

In Politico’s recent piece on the five unintended consequences of addressing the opioid crisis, hospice and palliative care patients are said to be among those negatively affected.

“A combination of opioid shortages, prescribing limits and misunderstandings of policies combine to make it harder for hospice doctors to get their patients drugs like morphine,” says the piece.

Among those to weigh in during this portion of the article is Sean Morrison, chairman of the geriatrics and palliative medicine department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“Almost every patient I have prescribed for recently has either a) run into pharmacies that no longer carry common opioids; b) cannot receive a full supply; and c) worst of all had their mail order pharmacy refuse to fill or have had arbitrary and non-science based dose or pill limits imposed,” said Dr. Morrison.

“Even with exemptions for hospice care, prescription limits are still having an impact,” adds Joe Rotella, the chief medical officer for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. “Patients have a tougher time getting these medications and it’s a lot more hassle for providers.”

Click here to read the full piece.