Over-the-Counter Scripts

On October 28th, Spencer Erman MD (one of our newest writers for the Placebo Journal, by the way) wrote a blog piece for us describing the lunacy of the new health care law requiring patients to get prescriptions from their doctors for over-the-counter medications. Five months later the Wall Street Journal got wind of this provision and wrote their own story about it. They describe everything Dr. Erman was worried about as now coming true. Here is what he blogged about back then:

"I can only imagine with horror the phone calls we will be getting asking for prescriptions for Tylenol, TheraFlu, Ex-Lax and the millions of other over-the-counter medications. I thought that being over-the-counter status means that these medicines do not require prescriptions? Now, besides wasting more of my time with stupid regulatory paperwork, and my staff's time with phone calls, if I write a prescription for an OTC medication, I take responsibility for the use of that medication -if there is a side effect or and ontoward reaction, is my responsibility, not the patient's. "

As reported in the WSJ, this provision is burdensome, annoying and gives another layer of liability to the doctor. And we, through Dr. Erman, reported this problem first!

But what about the AMA, you ask? Here is what the article said:

"Only after the president's signature was dry did the American Medical Association realize what had happened and send a letter to the government warning of unintended consequences, including more office visits and extra paperwork."

Once again it is good to see that the AMA is on top of things. Well done.