...Health Care Reform Project: Part I-Prescription Drugs Prescription drug abuse and prescription overprescribing, of all categories, is becoming rampant in the United States. It is also one of the most rapidly growing dilemmas in America influencing people of all ages. Prescription drug use in the past was limited to adults. Over the last decade, more and more children and adolescents are consumers of these drugs. Coping with children who behaved badly in the past has taken a new direction that includes prescribing medications. Medical professions now have the option to prescribe these medications as they see fit. Many physicians are more than willing to write a prescription based on the complaints of a patient rather than finding other treatment options or the root of the problem. Drugs manufactures have had to come up with new and innovative ways to market these drugs to healthcare providers and the public as well. As society changes so will the way drugs are marketed, prescribed and taken. Demand for prescription drugs will continue to increase as well as the overall cost. Consumers today demand more flexibility in acquiring prescription medications rather than using the traditional drug stores. Patients are swamped by pharmaceutical ads and physicians are repeatedly proliferated with drug prescribing information from pharmaceuticals representatives. Getzen and Allen (2007) states, “the average American fills 11 prescriptions per year. Pharmaceuticals were a...
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...Prescription Drug Abuse in America Kelsey Diamond Ferris State University Abstract Prescription drug abuse is a very real and prominent facet of American society. According to the staff at Mayo Clinic, “Prescription drug abuse is the use of a prescription medication in a way not intended by the prescribing doctor [and] includes everything from taking a friend's prescription painkiller for your backache to snorting or injecting ground-up pills to get high”. Because of the high rates of abuse and serious effects of prescription drugs, it is important that this topic is explained to and understood by the American public. The purpose of this research was to gain such understanding and organize it in a way that is informational and comprehensible...
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...2014 Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to inform the reader about the fraud and abuse of controlled substances being committed by physicians and pharmacies. Academic sources are the main reference point in this paper and they are used to give insight of the various ways that this crime can be committed. In addition, participant-observation research is included from the DEA diversion group who regulates controlled substance fraud. Lastly, this paper explains how this crime affects America and what is being done by the government to manage this problem. White Collar Crime: Abuse of Controlled Substances The abuse of controlled substances is so underrated in our community that a lot of people do not realize how they are being affected by it. I chose to write this topic because I am doing an internship with the Drug Enforcement Administration and I got a first hand look at the magnitude of this problem. This issue is important because we as citizens are all being affected by this issue and most people don’t realize it because it is not in the media as much as street drugs. After reading this paper, the reader will have more insight on what controlled substances are, the type of fraud that is being committed involving controlled substances, and the consequences of committing these fraudulent acts. Literature Review What is A Controlled Substance? Controlled substances are any drug or substance...
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...Prescription Opioids Deanna Pannell Aurora University One of the growing problems in America is the abuse of prescription opioids. In the past 10 years, the misuse of prescribed opioids has gone out of control, making it a national issue that many people are attempting to attack. Prescription opioid use is increasing in public health, creating an epidemic that is growing rapidly. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse: opiates, depressants, and stimulants are the three drug classifications most commonly abused by Americans. A multitude of research on the subject has concluded that there is more than a single solution to the problem, such as taking immediate action as well as creating prevention strategies. I decided to do additional research on this topic since it plays a huge part in my career as well as personal life. Being a substance abuse counselor in the criminal justice field, I experience first-hand the effects of prescription opioid abuse. A large number of client’s participating in the TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities) are dealing with prescription opioid abuse due to an injury or surgical procedure. On April 25, 2015, my first cousin died from a heroin overdose at the age of 23. After a football injury, he was prescribed Hydrocodone and became addicted. Since the pills are too expensive, he began using heroin and his battle ended 5 years later. In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older reported taking a prescription pain reliever...
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...Drug Addiction Leah Richards PSY326: Research Methods Maleka Hillsman August 27, 2012 The topic that caught my attention when I was reading my choices was “Drug Addiction”. Drug addiction is something that should not be taken lightly by anyone who has a family member or friend with this issue. We often wonder how and what make people turn into being a drug addict. “Drug addiction is rooted in long-term adaptations within the brain that promotes escalating drug use, difficulty quitting, and relapse—all despite the awareness of negative consequences.” With that being said I have always wondered what keep a person going back to their addiction and why can’t they quit. When I read the article and it mention how drug addiction is rooted a light bulb clicked in my head. When something is rooted inside of you whether it is for good or bad it is hard to break. “It was previously hypothesized that addiction was caused in part of an imbalance between an impulsive system that governs appetitive motivation and is driven by immediate rewards on the one hand and a reflective system that regulate and control impulsive according to future pleasurable or aversive consequences.” With this study they were able to predict the hypothesis and see what causes addiction to happen in some cases. I think that the method used in order to see how people become an addict was efficient and it was very precise that made the validity of the experiment a success. It is important to...
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...Mackenzie Weiss ENC1101-Tuesday July 31, 2012 Research Paper ADHD Medications and their Abuse Today The medications used to treat Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are powerful, especially when abused, and have lasting impacts on the patients and the abusers. Treatment, in the form of prescription drugs is available to help these individuals, yet is harmful to others who either are misdiagnosed or abuse it. Additional laws and policies implemented by our elected officials will help ensure the prescribed medications reach the intended patients resulting in lower abuse. ADHD is described as the “most common neurological disorder” (“Facts”) and is a condition that affects many children and adults all over the world. The diagnosis and treatment for ADHD is on the rise in this country, and the signs and symptoms are important for people to notice. ADHD first appears in children who may show a combination of disruptive problems including impulsive behavior, low self-esteem, hyperactivity, and poor performance in school/work. Children, treated for this disorder, are more likely to carry it until adolescence, but for some, ADHD may become a life-long adjustment into adulthood. Specifically for males, hyperactivity is a huge signal that they need to be tested for attention deficit. For females, the signs are the opposite, leading to many underdiagnosed women. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “boys were more likely than girls to have ever...
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...Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy Assignment #1: Prescription Label Assessment Student: Site: ___________________________ ______________________ Date: __________________________ Preceptor Signature: ______________ Print Name: ___________________________ 1. Items on the prescription label that are required by New Jersey State Law: 2. Items on the prescription label that are not required by New Jersey State Law: 3. Overall opinion as to the overall appearance and acceptability of the label in your pharmacy: 4. Reference(s) used for this assignment: . PRECEPTOR COMMENTS (OPTIONAL): Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy Assignment #2: Over-the-Counter Medication Assignment Student: ______________________ Site: _________________________ Date: _____________________ Print Name: ________________ Preceptor Signature ___________________ Please use the respective forms on the following pages to complete this assignment: 1. Category 1: Cough/Cold and Allergies (REQUIRED) Reference(s) used for this assignment: 2. Category 2: Women’s Health (REQUIRED) Reference(s) used for this assignment: 3. Category 3: Please indicate the category you chose for this assignment.(Select ONE of the following: Pain/Fever; Constipation/ Diarrhea; Heartburn/Dyspepsia; Smoking Cessation) Reference(s) used for this assignment: PRECEPTOR COMMENTS (OPTIONAL): Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy Assignment...
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...now. What I plan to do my paper on is teenagers and drugs. Drug use and abuse is bad for all parties involved (adults and teenagers). But it is really destroying our teens. Today it is so easy for teenagers to obtain just about any type of drug that they would want. These drugs include marijuana(also known as weed, pot, kush, loud, etc..), methamphetamine (also known as meth, crystal, christine, christina, speed, ice, etc…), cocaine, crack, herion, PCP, sherm, ecstasy or molly’s, and lastly a very long list of prescription drugs. Anything that has a way in causing addiction in my opinion is a problem and needs to be at the front of the line to be addressed especially when it comes to our children. Teens use to have to go out into the streets and search for the drug of choice, but today many of use parents are bringing the drugs right to them and into our homes and giving our children an in home supply without even knowing it. Yes the drugs are right there in our bathroom medicine cabinets, on our dressers, and even in our purses. They are also readily available at just about any store that sells cold medicine. Something needs to be done soon before even more children/teens become addicted and even worse lose their lives due to your common cold medicines and pain killers. After marijuana, prescription drugs are the drugs most commonly abused by teenagers, the federal agency says (Los Angeles Times, 2005). Prescription drug use among teens continues...
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...The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician's workflow. The EHR has the ability to generate a complete record of a clinical patient encounter as well as supporting other care-related activities directly or indirectly including evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting. A government-sponsored survey of the use of computerized patient records by doctors points to two seemingly contradictory conclusions, and a health care system at odds with itself. Skip to next paragraph A government-sponsored survey of the use of computerized patient records by doctors points to two seemingly contradictory conclusions, and a health care system at odds with itself. The report, published online on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that doctors who use electronic health records say overwhelmingly that such records have helped improve the quality and timeliness of care. Yet fewer than one in five of the nation’s doctors has started using such records. Bringing patient records into the computer age, experts say, is crucial to improving care, reducing errors and containing costs in the American health care...
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...premiums, and large employee turnover and violence in the workplace. The total estimated cost to our society in America for substance abuse exceeds 250 billion dollars per year. Addiction has become prominent as one of the worst health and social problems in the United States today. (coachinginternational.com) Through the last two decades, addiction rates in the United States have increased significantly because of the advancements in Information Technology. Social networking, internet access and cell phones have all contributed to this increase as they make it easier for drug traffickers to find their targets and elude law enforcement. The internet has become a gateway for commonly abused prescription drugs, without a prescription. There are numerous Web sites that offer controlled prescription medications for sale online and they have become “pharmaceutical candy stores” for...
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...ACCURACY IN WRITING AND DISPENSING OF PRESCRIPTIONS Anita Walsh Western Governors University Prescriber writing errors happen in all forms, places and types. From what the medical staff thinks, the prescriber has prescribed and calls in to the local retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, or even the in house pharmacies: adding that the pharmacy processing these uncorrected prescriptions that end up getting to patients. If someone does not catch these errors whether it is the pharmacist, being asked by the patient, why there receiving this drug, because they thought doctor said something else. Therefore, the pharmacist may check it. In a hospital, setting a nurse may look at a chart and question the drug, and call and verify. However, many times no one questions it until the patient has a reaction, or what he or she are being treated for gets worse. Along with communicating with the prescribers, their offices, hospitals, patients, pharmacists also have to be up to date on the all laws, federal and state, and be watchful for those that try to fill fraudulent or altered scripts. Research suggests that there would be significant benefits if all prescribers would follow the same procedures for writing prescriptions, such as using computer generate prescriptions or E-scribe, because there would be a decrease in prescription writing errors, pharmacy mistakes and prescription fraud. Pharmacies call prescribers offices to clarify prescriptions information, on average 150 million...
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...Colosimo Mohawk Valley Community College Abstract This paper explores the psychological effects of street drugs, classified as legal, illegal and controlled substances. The legal drugs that I cover are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The illegal are marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. I will also discuss controlled substances, but mainly in reference to prescription pills. I discuss the short-term and long-term effects of all the drugs I cover as well as withdrawal symptoms. I will close with drug abuse treatment help and support and follow with my conclusion. Psychological Effects of Street Drugs A street drug is defined as any substance taken for nonmedical purposes. They can be legal or illegal and are comprised of amphetamines, barbiturates, opiates, psychoactive drugs and as well as natural sources. A drug is a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans. For this paper I will be discussing drugs under the three categories of being legal, illegal and controlled substances. The most common legal drugs I will discuss are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The more common illegal drugs that I will discuss are marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. There are numerous controlled substances as well and it is defined as a drug or chemical that is regulated by the government. For controlled substances I will only be covering prescription pills. Legal Drugs Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant that can...
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...in carrying out its purpose. “The role of government regulator agencies in health care is to monitor health care practitioners and facilities, provide information about industry changes, promote safety and ensure a legal compliance and quality services” (2013). Health care industry rules and regulations are determined by regulatory agencies, local, federal and state with mandatory oversight. Accreditation agencies require participation that is voluntary because certification of quality provides important ranking. Large private organization and the government help develop and enforce health care regulations. Role Governmental regulatory agencies in health care are the “Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)” (2013). Regulatory agencies serve different purposes, “the oversight of drugs, medical devices, vaccines, blood products, and biologics, establishing rules for testing, clinical trials, approval of new products. Monitoring of safety, medical errors and adverse reactions to treatments, alerting the health care industry of risks associated...
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...issues that we should spend a lot of our finances on. The voice translation software with cost us approximately over 10,000 dollars. If everyone can continue to type in the system as we have been doing, you will find that I have a lot more improvements for the office that you will love. I understand that it is a lot of typing but if we install the voice translation software what will be the purpose of all the employees, no one would be needed in the office and all of you will be out of a job and we definitely don’t want that. Here goes my proposal for the office that will be a great improvement and less work for everyone. I was given a budget of 42,000 dollar’s to make sure all of the major issues are taken addressed. I did a lot of research and the total I came up with was 100,000 thousand dollars which of course is way over the budget I was given, so I had to prioritize the most important, the most affordable, and of course the most effective for the office. This is why I had to eliminate the voice translation, and it would not be included as one of the software to our new medical record system. Another issues that was brought to my attention are being addressed to my older nurses, I know that you guys are not very computer savvy and prefer to write your patients medical records by hand. However I came up with a great way to get you to...
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...Medical Marijuana in California The marijuana pant is one of the oldest plants known to mankind. It has become one of the most widely used plants. The plant has many uses other than medicinal use. It was used to make cloth and paper for centuries and was the most important source of rope until the development of synthetic fibers (Grinspoon and Bakalar). There are two different species of cannabis called sativa and indica. The feeling of each has a slight difference. Sativa has a more relaxing effect on the body than indica, but both are equally useful in medicating ill people. Marijuana is easily defined: it is one of the most benign substances know to humans (Rosenthal and Kubby). California is one of the first states in America fighting for the use of medical marijuana. In recent years, the medical use had grown vastly in the state of California. Medical marijuana is used for various reasons. Many people in California are beginning to buy or receive medical marijuana prescriptions to avoid serious consequences. “In 1996, California voters passed position 215, the Compassionate Use Act, legalizing marijuana for medical use. Proposition 215 permits ill Californians to use marijuana, provided they first obtain a doctor’s recommendation. Proposition 215 also give doctors legal defense against professional or legal sanctions for recommending use of marijuana” (Berkeley.edu 1). There is so much conflict between proposition 215 and the federal law. The federal...
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