Blog Archive

The Roseburg VA medical records office has a long history of delaying or ignoring release of information requests.  They do this to make it harder for outside providers to provide care to their veteran patients.  They want them to stay in "their" system and not go to anyone else. Recently...

Reports have come to my office that a pharmacy employee at a local big chain pharmacy passed out during their work shift. Turns out they have been abusing drugs . . . probably for quite some time. Nobody probably ever tests their pharmacy employees who have easy access to all...

We have been informed from a very reliable source that a local provider abruptly ended the long-term pain medicine of a patient who had a chronic heart condition. The patient went into cardiac dysrhythmia and died. Did the abrupt termination of the pain medication cause it? VERY LIKELY.   According to...

On May 29, 2020, we received medical records based on a release of information that we sent to Optimal Health of Southern Oregon for our patient. They sent 28 pages of medical records, yet in midst of our patient's records, they included an entirely different patient's records too! From page...

 It took a formal complaint to the Office of Civil Rights to get patient records.  It took almost 5 months when state law stipulates a maximum of 30 days. Here is the summary of our complaint regarding Aviva: Patient signed ROI (release of information) and was faxed to Aviva on...

Here is a letter written to 2 different providers at Aviva Health regarding concerns over a mutual patient. 20 November 2020 To:  Aviva Health, Dr. Harry Taylor and Shannon Suhr, NP Re:  Concerns over demonstrated cognitive decline and decreasing physical actions for mutual patient, XXX X. XXXX, DOB XX-XX-XXXX I...

Here is my letter of to Dr. Layne Jorgensen, Chief Clinical Officer of Umpqua Health - Newton Creek, that I sent on Nov. 20th, 2020 to their 3031 NE Stephens St, Roseburg, OR address. Re:  Unprofessional Conduct of Dr. James Hoyne I am writing to you today regarding the unprofessional...

6 January 2020 To:  Kriti Choudhary, MD         Coquille Valley Hospital Clinic         Fax:  541.396.xxxx Re:  Medical Records for Ms. XXX X.XXX, DOB XX-XX-XX I want to discuss concerns I have regarding the behavior of your staff towards my office. Namely a Medical Asst....

Here is the text of a letter sent to Sutherlin Drug of Sutherlin, Oregon back on May 11, 2020. Re:  Refusal to send patient-requested refills? Please clarify our understanding as reported by a patient who felt berated and slightly humiliated by your outburst in your store recently. Basically, she relayed...

20 November 2020 To:  Dr. Layne Jorgensen, Chief Clinical Officer             Umpqua Health - Newton Creek             3031 NE Stephens St.             Roseburg, OR  97470 Re:  Unprofessional Conduct of Dr. James Hoyne I am writing...

Quell Customers to Receive $3.9 Milliion in Refunds by Pat Anson of the Pain News Network September 9, 2020 This is my response to that article: Just goes to show you that even a lying fraudulent advertising scheme to rip off chronic pain patients WILL MAKE YOU MILLIONS!!!  If you go...

The FDA lacks any real “teeth” to do their job. They’ve been paid off by years by multiple groups to look the other way. Now the leaving FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement: “Today, we posted a warning letter to a company preying on patients who may...

Per a letter I wrote awhile back, I see that the Oregon PDMP is finally reporting the refills properly per my suggestion. The PDMP had been reporting refills starting with “0” and counting upwards as they were filled. Unfortunately that doesn’t do anyone any good because no one knew the...

Governmental regulations are forcing patients with chronic health conditions or conflicting religious beliefs to receive a vaccination that they don't agree with at the risk of possible death or other risks.

Pulled out some records to check some things and refreshed myself with something I had been meaning to post earlier but got distracted. Talk about “little” pain agreements! Just look at the one used by Centennial Medical Group East, still called Evergreen Family Medicine by most people. It is only...

I find it amazing that so many clinics, especially pain clinics are ignoring the requirements of having pain agreements and Material Risk Notices with their patients. I just reviewed another patient’s medical records that have none. None from her PCP who prescribed for months, and none from her pain clinic...

Here is a letter that I sent to the Office Manager of Oregon Cardiology, located at Peace Health Sacred Heart Medical Center, by fax on 12-10-19. Re: “Urgent” Medical Record Request, Failure to send follow-up records, and more I am writing to yo to express my disappointment with your office...

CHI Mercy is so great about spinning the details on anything that they can turn into a big billboard along the highway. Let’s see how they spin this one off too. Leapfrog’s Fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grade reports are out. Mercy Medical Center scored a “B.” Drive a little farther...

Umpqua Community Health Center (UCHC) recently changed their name under the state business registry. They still kept the one name for legal reasons, but changed the public name to the DBA (doing business as) name of “Aviva.” One would have to wonder why? Medical records from them were printed with...

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) specifies certain requirements that are to be on all faxed documents. Home Town Drugs doesn’t seem to care about those federal rules when faxing pharmaceutical records around the state and beyond. For years their fax form has failed to show any proper type of identification...

Patient had EKG testing done last year at Samaritan Lebanon Hospital. This year I ordered another EKG to monitor their condition and specifically wrote on the order form to compare it to last year’s EKG (something that is commonly done). I even specifically wrote on the order form that the...

Patient went to get records from their office and was told that they would not accept any Release of Information (ROI) form except ADAPT’s. Where did that idea come from? It’s certainly not following HIPAA or any other state or federal guidelines regarding records releases and transfers. If administration trains...

Had a patient go to South River CHC to complete an EKG. They did it back in August. He signed the paperwork to send the results to my office since we ordered it. Two months later, no results received from them yet. He said he signed their Release of Information...

Yet again I have received a bill from ADAPT regarding medical records that they have sent us while trying to assess a patient who saw them for drug addiction issues. Standard courtesy for the majority of medical offices is to provide such records at no charge. About the only place...

I predict that within the next two to five years we will be seeing two major trends happening within our healthcare system and they will both be the result of the changes Medicare has been making towards the reimbursement system that they think will be for the better, but in...

It seems that Umpqua Health and it’s clinical and administrative staff have big secrets to hide. First they close their office on Harvard Avenue WITHOUT informing patients . . . no letter, no phone calls, etc. I have patients reporting that they have shown up for scheduled appointments only to...

Dr. Catherine Gallo performed a physical examination during a consult on a patient in December of 2018. This patient has had numerous abdominal surgeries that have left quite an obvious lengthy midline scar. She claims in her dictated report that she examined multiple body sites and describes her abdominal exam...

Was contacted by an out-of-state media company called Patient Point that was hired by Mercy to start advertising local physicians on a TV screen located in their ER and south entrance to their hospital. The Patient Point agent researched physicians in the area taking new patients and what they had...

Here is my response to the Pain News Network article entitled: “Study: Prescription Drug Databases Overestimate Opioid Misuse” written by Pat Anson and posted 8-13-19: “PDMP databases are just numbers and details. At least in Oregon, I have had to point out numerous errors in the PDMP data just for...

While everyone deals with the “opioid” crisis, more and more patients are being “converted” to Buprenorphine products (really just another opioid). These Medication Assisted Treatment centers are popping up all over the place because it’s the “preferred” treatment that is currently the federal government’s “darling” that they shower billions of...

Here’s an opinion I posted on the Pain New Network in response to the article “Are Rx Opioids the Culprits or Scapegoats for Opioid Crisis?” by Dr. Lynn Webster and posted August 10, 2019: “There have always been multiple contributors to the opioid “crisis:” medical prescribers, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy...

Here’s my response to the article “Co-Pay Assistance Programs Fail to Help Uninsured Patients” by Pat Anson and posted on the Pain News Network on August 6, 2019: “Multi-million dollar fines do NOT change their behavior . . . because they’re making BILLIONS.Some real jail time of consequence MIGHT change...

Here’s my response to an article posted on Pain News Network on August 8, 2019 by Pat Anson and titled: “Experts Advise Against It, But Opioids Often Used to Treat Migraine.” “While there have been numerous other medications available to treat migraines, many practitioners fail to use them. I have...

Here’s my response to the article by Pat Anson posted July 19, 2019 on the Pain News Network entitled: “Pharmacists and Rx Wholesalers Charged with Drug Trafficking“ “It’s high time that any of the corporate executives that are charges with crimes face long prison sentences, just like many of the...

The ongoing clash with this clinic is far from over. They have failed to send us records in a timely manner for years. Now their ploy is to NOT fax records to our office despite the patient’s signed Release of Information form stating they may do so. What Canyonville Health...

Years ago when the federal government started passing laws regarding electronic medical record systems, they demanded integrated communicability between systems at various offices, hospitals, etc. Medicare paid millions across the country for offices to get up to speed and modernized. Yet look at the VA. To date the VA still...

Prior Authorizations have been used for years by insurance companies and pharmacy benefit mangers (PBM’s) to deny or delay medications, imaging, treatments, surgeries, etc. for their insured patient, their own client. But really, they don’t care, and never have. Once they get your money, supposedly to pay for such care, they think...

Saw a patient yesterday for their first visit. I had reviewed their records a week earlier and noted problems. Dr. Neil Roundy, a neurosurgeon at Oregon Neurosurgery, had seen the patient in May 2019 as a pre-operative visit. He documented that the patient has an incomplete spinal cord injury. While...

Here’s my response to the article “Michigan Opioid Study Discusses Access to Primary Care Clinics for Patients with Chronic Pain” posted on July 14, 2019 by Ed Coghlan on the National Pain Report website. The first thing clinics used to asked prospective new patients was “What’s your insurance?” Now it’s “Do you...

Here is my second response due to the many responses posted by patients on the article “Michigan Opioid Study Discusses Access to Primary Care Clinics for Patients with Chronic Pain” posted on July 14, 2019 by Ed Coghlan on the National Pain Report website. Reading more of the comments made...

Oregon state law requires that any pharmacy filling controlled substances, categories II – IV, report them to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (DMP) within 72 hours of dispensing. It is almost monthly that I have to report some violation of these laws to the Oregon Board of Pharmacy and the...

Let’s compare two cases of leaving an infant in the backseat of a hot car in a car seat unattended. Roseburg, OR: Nicole Engler, nurse practitioner, left her child in the car seat while she went to work at Evergreen Family Medicine clinic. Bend, OR: Evander McIver, Deputy District Attorney...

This article posted 6-14-19: “Why Do Doctors Keep Pushing Invasive Procedures on Me?” — Pain News Network It’s always been about the money. There’s little risk to the physician for doing an injection or other procedure that garners them thousands of dollars, but now with the extreme push on the...

Two local physicians have been discovered to have staff members that have been writing their own prescriptions by stealing prescriptions pads. They have written prescriptions for themselves, their family members, and others, probably selling them for big money. Walgreens discovered these “patients” were filling their prescriptions at Harvard Avenue Drugs...

Mercy Medical Center recently LOST an EKG that was performed on my patient. In fact they had the WRONG phone number and address for the patient in their computer system, and even noted the patient’s marital status WRONGLY. WOW!! Did they bill insurance for their failure?

This article appeared on the Pharmacist Steve website on May 6, 2019. Here was my response: The Oregon PDMP is a flawed system that no one seems to care about improving despite all the mistakes that have been pointed out with it. The legislature finally made all medical providers sign...

That was the title of the article that appeared May 6, 2019 on the Pain News Network. It was written by Roger Chriss. Here was my response:While they continue to attack medical providers which leads to more and more of them refusing to prescribe medications and forcefully tapering chronic pain...

Recently had a patient switch to Health Net. They had been getting their medication for years without problem, but now Health Net says otherwise. They sent their Prior Authorization / Formulary Exception Request Fax Form to us to complete, which we did. We included everything requested on the form and...

This was the title of the Public Forum letter published in the News Review on May 5, 2019 and attributed to Mike Berns of Brookings. Mr. Berns described that as a veteran he has service-connected health issues that are treated by the VA. But despite being “covered” benefits, the VA...

I recently reviewed the records of a new applicant who has been seeing the Salem Clinic. After three different requests for records, we still NEVER received the following: NO prescription log of post-dated prescriptions given to the patient that are not documented in the chart notes, NO controlled substance agreement...

Just in the last few weeks, I had to notify Sav-on, the PDMP, and the Oregon Board of Pharmacy of another eight illegal acts by Sav-on. Oregon law requires all pharmacies to report controlled substance medications filled within 72 hours — I have patients whose medications have not shown up after 28 or...

It has been reported to me by reliable sources that do not wish to get involved with the proper reporting of such crimes that two doctors in Roseburg have had staff members falsifying prescriptions and passing them off in town. A local pharmacy uncovered the facts by checking the state...

Just saw a patient this week who was seen in the Mercy Medical Center ER, then admitted, was in the ICU and saw a mental health specialist before discharge. The patient was told to follow-up with me as scheduled within that next week. The patient told them to send the...

Reviewed another patient’s records from Evergreen Family Medicine. No controlled substance agreement was on file. No Material Risk Notice was on file. Both of these are strongly recommended by medical organizations and the Oregon Medical Board. To top it off the patient was discharged from the clinic because? They asked too many questions ....

Pain News Network recently posted this article entitled “Cancer Patient’s Rite Aid Video Goes Viral” on May 3, 2019. It relates the disturbing and disheartening story of how some pharmacies are violating patient’s rights in obtaining pain medications for cancer treatment. The CDC Guidelines were NEVER meant to be used...

This is the letter I faxed to the PDMP on 4-5-19: 5 April 2019 To:  Stephanie Vesik, PhD., Daily Operations Mgr.            OHA – Public Health Div. – OPDMP Re:  Major documentation error that could lead to fraud or other legal charges I was reviewing the different options on the PDMP...

On April 8th, the PDMP responded to my letter. Here is their response: Dr. George, Your fax from 4/5/18 at 5:06pm has been received and your profile within the PDMP has been corrected. Please contact Reinhart Pharmacy to resubmit their prescriptions with the correct DEA number and to note within their...

Here’s the letter I faxed to the PDMP on 4-17-19. No response as of this posting from any of the recipients! To:  Stephanie Vesik, PhD., Daily Operations Mgr.            OHA – Public Health Div. – OPDMP Re:  ANOTHER  BATCH  ERROR ? ! Please see the attached error sheet regarding my patient and...

I had to send three more error reports to Savon, the PDMP, and the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. Evidently this pharmacy can’t seem to hire the right people to fix some computer problems or maybe the training to use the system is insufficient. Whatever the problem is, it continues to...

After reviewing the records on a patient and discussing the records with the patient in person, it becomes apparent that a Nurse Practitioner at the South River Community Health Center commits fraud on her medical records. She documents physical examinations that DON’T happen. There are things you can document without touching the...

Reviewed medical records from the patient’s Physician’s Assistant at South River Community Health Center. Brief note said a CSA (Controlled Substance Agreement) was discussed and signed, yet NO copy is part of the medical record. PA said the patient was “briefly screened” for risk factors, yet NO questionnaires or documentation of what was discussed...

Just reviewed the final records on a patient being seen by a doctor at the Umpqua Community Health Center. I had previously reviewed what records they sent and had to ask for additional records that they failed to send as part of the original package. It turns out that they...

Reviewed medical records from multiple providers for a patient applying to my clinic. There are SO MANY things wrong with them, it’s difficult to know where to start, but here goes. Patient seen at Umpqua Community Health Center by two different Nurse Practitioners over the years. Five visits: ALL of them have the height...

Just posted this response to the article entitled “Pain Sufferers May Benefit From Combining Opioids and Marijuana” on the National Pain Report website: I have successfully used combined opioid and marijuana therapy for years with my chronic pain patients. I have seen the vast majority of them be able to...

Here’s the letter I wrote to the PDMP, SavOn, and the Oregon Board of Pharmacy and faxed to them on 4-17-19. As usual, I doubt much action will occur. Re:  ANOTHER  BATCH  ERROR ? ! Please see the attached error sheet regarding my patient and his PDMP report printed today....

Evergreen Family Medicine has again failed to provide all the appropriate medical records on a patient that they have been treating. Every document signed by the providers is part of the medical record. It is amazing to me that they don’t understand the basics of medical record documentation. Today they...

Records from NeuroSpine FAIL to show the pain medications that they are prescribing to a patient in the “Medication” section. They only show up at the end of the notes when they again PRESCRIBE them and occasionally in the discussions when they are making comments about the patient’s use or their desire to take...

Just reviewed the final records of a patient applying for care. NeuroSpine failed to send ALL the requested records the first time, so I had to review the rest later. Specifically the pain agreement is NOT signed by the patient or the physician. There is NO identifying patient information to state 100% that it was even...

Just reviewed over 400 pages of medical records from Sonoma Family Practice out of Sonoma, CA. The two page “Consent form for Controlled Substane Therapy” is NOT signed by the physician and is NOT dated. Multiple repeated pages regarding current immunization guidelines and other guidelines for diabetic testing and such, but guess what? NOT A...

There is NO law, neither state or federal, that prevents any physician from prescribing opiate pain medications to patients also using medical marijuana. There are much more knowledgeable practicing physicians across the US that understand that fact, it’s too bad that none of them work for the many clinics across Douglas County...

Major medical associations and state agencies advocate for the use of pain agreements and Material Risk Notices to be completed with chronic pain patients before continuing to prescribe opioid medications long term. It’s amazing to me how many clinics still do not do so, as demonstrated by the lack of...

Here’s my response to the recent article “FDA Warns About Fast Opioid Tapers” that appeared on the Pain News Network website on 4-9-19: While I have been doing slow tapers ever since the CDC Guidelines came out in March 2016, I have watched other patients suffer from their providers, whether...

Here is my response to the recent article entitled “An Open Letter to the CDC Center for Injury Prevention” that Dr. Richard Lawhern posted on the Pain News Network website on 4-9-19: Governmental policy has always been slow to change, whether for good or bad, even when confronted with true...

Just posted this comment to the article of “Doctor, Doctor – Are you listening to what she says?” on the National Pain Report website: Medicine has changed over the last 50 years thanks to government bureaucracy & health insurance company greed. They have pilfered the healthcare system making it their...

So a Roseburg radiologist, Dr. Diwaker Agarwal, that is on staff at Mercy Medical Center got a warning for “soliciting” prostitution. Why not an arrest for such criminal activity? Solicitation in Oregon is Class A Misdemeanor and is punishable with jail time and fines. Guess the rich doctor has connections?...

Been having issues with the PDMP and have filed multiple complaints as I have in the past with no actions being taken by the various government offices like the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. I decided to forward copies of my complaint to the Governor’s office and some media outlets. Guess...

Just reviewed records from Dr. Fred Luke Herscher of Sutherlin on one of his past patients. Here’s just another example of a PCP prescribing opiates for years but never following “guidelines” that had been published even long before the CDC guidelines. It was long recommended to perform drug testing at...

Had an interesting phone call today from South River Community Health Center. Person was looking for a provider to sign a Companion Pet waiver for a patient because it was against their clinic policy to do so! What type of discriminatory policy is that?! This is a simple Companion Pet...

Sent four notices out to SavOn pharmacy, the Oregon Board of Pharmacy and the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program today. They showed multiple controlled substance medications failed to be reported to the PDMP as REQUIRED by state law within 3 DAYS. Four prescriptions were filled 28 DAYS ago and NOT reported....

I posted today onto the “Pharmacist Steve” website regarding the article about “Bayer, J&J settle thousands of US Xarelto lawsuits for $775 million.” Here’s a copy of what I had to say:While $775 million sounds like a LOT of money, in reality it isn’t. When numbers get this large, people...

Just posted this comment on the Pain News Network website regarding their newest article:I have seen multiple chronic pain patients held “hostage” by their neurosurgeons, orthopedic doctors, and rehab specialists for years. They have to “agree” to those epidural steroid injections, even when they have already had them before without...

I just read on Fox News that Oklahoma has settled with Purdue Pharma for $270,000,000. That’s a ridiculous amount of money . . . ridiculously LOW! According to Wikipedia, Purdue made $35 billion profit in 2017. Now when numbers are this large, people easily get duped into thinking things seem large, because for...

Usually when I read medical records from our local medical providers, I get sarcasm and disdain from them regarding the fact that I am also seeing their patient and allow them to use medical marijuana with or without opiate medications. Sometimes they go all out full-force and tell the patient...

Just had a patient discharged by Dr. Tim Powell. After he failed to get the patient into any type of skilled care/nursing home care (which he said he could do), he and the staff ensured that a hospital bed and other medical equipment would be delivered to the patient’s home...

There are so many errors and fraudulent entries made by numerous providers using Electron Health Record systems that it’s laughable and pathetic at the same time. I have seen providers documenting almost full physicals being done on their patients at almost every visit. When you talk to the patient, they...

While the PDMP can be a highly useful tool when it is used by ALL prescribers (NOT required by law, yet!) and when it is properly maintained by ALL pharmacies that are dispensing controlled substances (and they DON’T), it loses its effectiveness at times due to the multiple mistakes and failed entries that are occurring on...

22 March 2019 To:  Oregon Board of Pharmacy Fax:  971.673.0002 Re:  Multiple errors on PDMP in violation of state law I am reporting these errors to you, as the many I have done before that went unanswered by the OBP, and therefore I am now also sending this notice to various other state...

Today I found four mistakes on the PDMP by Alberstons all committed on 2-20-19 and 2-21-19. Multiple pain medications that should be reported to the PDMP within 72 hours of being filled have still NOT shown up on the PDMP after 29 and 28 days respectively! Would it be so...

Informed today by a patient, whose husband is in Mercy Medical Center and about to be discharged, that she attempted to find a local nursing home to take him. She was told he was too “complicated” for them to take care of. Evergreen Family Medicine’s MD basically told her that...

Met a new local provider today who works at Evergreen Family Medicine, also otherwise known as Centennial Medical Group East. They had taken classes to learn about Buprenorphine to help patients, yet they and their bosses still didn’t know that you do not need to become “X” licensed by the...

Any patient who signs the Electronic Medical Record notice that DCIPA and other clinics demand needs to realize that their confidential health history is now available to anyone who has access to that computer system. The only safeguard the system has is “the word” of that user, that they have the right...

Most medical offices commonly share records between providers that are treating mutual patients. I have had some chiropractors over the years charge for their records. Now we have the local ADAPT office stating to a patient today that if they had got the records for themselves, there would be no...

The state is just doing what the Umpqua Health Alliance already proved could be done back in the summer of 2013. They act as the CCO for the Oregon Health Plan in Douglas County. They forcefully took all OHP patients off opioids back then without giving them any other alternatives....

It’s been four weeks since I sent a long detailed letter responding to the recommendation of changes to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program per the audit conducted by the Secretary of State. Only one congresswoman responded to basically say the issue wasn’t something that she was aware of. Wow. Obviously...

Why is it that those involved with covering up ex-Sen. Jeff Kruse walk away free and clear, just like him? No one goes to jail. No one pays fines or penalties out of their pockets. It all comes from taxpayer money to pay for their mistakes and cover-ups. If someone...

Albertson’s Savon is at it again! Two more controlled substance prescriptions for pain medications again failed to show up on the PDMP system within the mandated 72-hour time limit. It’s been 28 days and they still don’t show up! I think it might be time to start drug testing the...

Just got medical records from ADAPT of Roseburg for a patient applying for medical treatment. The patient received treatment from ADAPT. Most medical clinics do NOT charge for records sent to another clinic in the care of patients, but obviously ADAPT feels differently about that. They want to charge our clinic for...

As reported in the News Review Jan. 12, 2018, “The Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center has the highest rate of opioid prescriptions of any VA in the country, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.” This is not the first time that the Roseburg VA...

I am not an economist, but I feel that health insurance companies seem to fit into the “economic bubbles” of schemes and more that basically funnel money from one party to another. Clients pay for services and then basically get less than they bargained for in the long run. Premiums...

Today, 2-28-19, I had 2 controlled substances that failed to show up on the PDMP system after 28 days. Both were filled at Albertson’s Savon on 1-31-19 and are way past the 72 hour state mandated law.

Senator Shemia Fagan responded on 2-24-19 to my review of the PDMP audit done by the state. She’s the only legislator to actually read and respond to my review. Here’s what she had to say: “Thanks for reaching out. This specific issue was not on my radar previously but I...

The World Health Organization owns the copyright to the ICD-10 codes that are currently used around the world to apply for reimbursement through the various insurance companies. They slowly update the books and change codes in order to force medical providers to purchase newer books when only a handful of...

The chiropractic board has repeatedly failed to discipline their chiropractic members for violations of state law, namely that of releasing requested medical records within the 30-day time limit set by state statute. In one particular case, Dr. Steven Finlayson of Chiropractic Spine Associates located in Roseburg failed to respond multiple...

Patient hasn’t seen me since June 2016 and had notified us then that they would not be returning due to insurance issues. Out of the blue, Mercy Medical Center sends us a copy of an x-ray done Feb. 2019. It was ordered by her PCP, not us, yet they sent...

Medical records reviewed from this office showed that an Opioid Prescribing Agreement (OPA) and a Materials Risk Notice (MRN) were completed by the patient and Dr. Joseph Savino in 2016. It was referenced by Susan Bird, PA in 2017. Yet when those items were specifically requested as part of the...

Today had 3 controlled substance prescriptions that FAILED to show up on the PDMP system at 27 days after they were filled — law says they are supposed to be reported within 72 hours! Today it was Sutherlin Drug for one and Albertson’s Sav-on for two. Oregon Board of Pharmacy...

Just reviewed over two years worth of medical records from South River CHC regarding a patient that 3 providers (Skyler Meyer, FNP and Marcy Dean, FNP and Carl Leder, PA) prescribed ongoing opiates to. In all that time not a single drug test has been performed. There is no mention...

Did you see the CBS Sixty Minutes story on the FDA entitled “Did the FDA ignite the opioid epidemic?” It aired on 2-24-19 with Bill Whitaker. It basically shows the collusion going on behind closed-door, private meetings between Big Pharma companies and the FDA. They basically forced the FDA to...

It is truly amazing the number of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants who fail to treat low Vitamin D levels appropriately. I see many of the failing to even address the low lab results that they themselves ordered. When they do address it, they commonly prescribe 50,000 IU’s of Vitamin...

I sent my PDMP review letter with numerous attachments to every member of the Oregon legislature. To date not a single one of them has responded with any questions or concerns. But I just received my first email from one of them that placed me on his email list of...

The News Review reported today, 2-23-19, that CHI Mercy has been sued by Ms. Renee Bates due to injuries she sustained while at their facility. I wish her the greatest success in her lawsuit and her request for a jury trial. I would hope that she and her lawyer do...

I reviewed the records of a chronic pain patient being seen at a major pain clinic located in southern Medford. This patient NEVER got to see the pain doctor specialist, despite records claiming that the clinic policy is for the patient to be seen by the lead doctor at the first visit. The...

Section 1 of ORS 431.964 requires pharmacies to report controlled substance prescriptions to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Among the required information to report is “the identity of the practitioner who prescribed the prescription drug.” I report errors in the PDMP when I find them, and I have found many...

Amanda Rose, PA, at Centennial Medical Group East (also known as Evergreen Family Medicine) recently drug tested a patient at their office with the standard point-of-care cup. The cup showed methamphetamine, so Ms. Rose did what the standard lab recommendations say to do: she sent it out for confirmation BEFORE...

The RIOSORD was designed by the VA to assess the Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression, or basically that your pain medications could stop your breathing. It awarded points for many different conditions, some high, some low. It failed to distinguish between opioid dependence (what regular chronic pain patients have when using opioids long-term)...

Just reviewed the medical records of a patient who has been seen at multiple clinics within the OHSU group in Portland. There are three pain agreements dating 2013, 2015, and 2017. Guess what? NONE of them are signed by the patient, any provider, or any witnesses. NONE of them! Guess...

It’s been one week sent I sent off my multi-page review of the PDMP audit’s recommendations to every single member of the Oregon legislature. To date not a single one of them have even responded at all. No questions. No concerns despite all the errors that I have been pointing...

CHI Mercy Medical Center of Roseburg has long been known by many of the locals as a place for “no mercy” when it comes to medical treatment. Then they merged with Dignity Health and that added the “no dignity” part. Letters written to the CEO’s of both CHI (Keven Lofton)...

As a chronic pain management doctor, I’ve received a variety of threats over the years. Here’s a recent example from a patient I just dismissed. They tested positive for “methamphetamine.” Their response to my dismissal of them was: “I will get a lawyer, . . . I will start using...

Just reviewed the records of an applicant and see that UCHC is practicing discriminatory pain management. They claim to follow guidelines and tell chronic back pain patients that they don’t prescribe pain medications for such conditions. But in reality their records show that they do. They just do it for...

Recently reviewed the medical records of a patient moving from the Midwest to Oregon. They were seen at a specialty pain clinic in Ohio and were prescribed pain medications for years. Never once did they talk about other treatment modalities like physical therapy, injections, chiropractic, or more. It was never...

I have decided to start blogging about all the different medical errors I find in the numerous medical records I review. I get patients applying from different clinics across the state because so many of them are running scared. They have been prescribing pain medications up to this point, many...

I have reviewed the medical records of a patient that shows the last office visit being 11 months ago, yet the patient has been receiving a regular supply of pain medications MONTHLY since then. Four of the multiple prescriptions were written by Dr. Jay Richards, but NONE of those four...

Today I submitted a fifteen page response to the members of the Oregon legislature and some of the major media outlets across Oregon regarding my thoughts on the Secretary of State’s audit of the PDMP program. I have been addressing the numerous errors and other problems associated with the program...

Oregon released an audit of the PDMP in December 2018. They are just now expressing concerns regarding the failure of many providers in using the PDMP system that has been around for years. I have been expressing these concerns for years. I have been pointing out the numerous mistakes the...