Too many pain clinics in South Florida equal addiction issues and deaths

There are more pain clinics, also called pill mills, in South Florida than there are McDonalds restaurants, according to Time magazine. Time reported in April that there were 115 pain clinics vs. approximately 70 McDonalds locations. The Sun-Sentinel reported this week that there are 154 pain clinics in Broward County and 122 in Palm Beach County. However, these numbers are subject to change at any time.

After some research, it appears that it is impossible to get an accurate count of exactly how many pain clinics exist in South Florida. Experts say way too many. The reason: Broward County has no way to track how many pain clinics are open because according to the Broward/Palm Beach edition of The New Times,

The pain management clinics in South Florida range from legitimate medical business targeting specific patients suffering chronic pain to junkie-friendly, low-rent operations. Second, a lot of these clinics open and shut down quickly, only to reopen at a new location.

Even more surprising: You don’t have to be a physician or a medical professional to open a pain clinic in this state, Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti tells Time magazine. He goes on to say,

You need a background check to get a liquor license — you can't be a convicted felon and open up a bar — but you can be a convicted felon and open up a pain clinic.

The highly addictive narcotic OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride) is the No. 1 drug dispensed by these clinics, and it has become a huge problem.

Because the state of Florida is one of seven states that does not have a prescription-drug tracking system,* patients can go from one clinic to another and purchase pain pills without anyone really knowing exactly how many pills have been prescribed to each patient. Plus, there is no restriction on the amount of pills a person can purchase during a visit. As a result, the state has become a hot-spot for addicts and drug dealers. People travel from surrounding states to purchase drugs here.

Of course, there are people who need the drugs that these clinics provide because they are in chronic pain from injuries and accidents. However, these people aren’t the ones causing the huge problem.

What’s the solution?
Palm Beach County has placed a moratorium on the opening of new clinics. On Oct. 1, 2010 a law goes into effect to limit the amount of pills a person can receive at one time. However, last week, that law was legally challenged in a federal court. So, the law may never be passed. Some worry that even if this new law is passed the opportunity to find loopholes within the law is great.

A registry database should be in every state to track the amount of controlled substances being dispensed. However, officials claim that instituting such a system in the state of Florida would cost $1 million dollars. According to The Daytona Beach News Journal, last year lawmakers passed a bill to develop an electronic prescription drug-monitoring program to be funded through grants and donations. So far funding is on track and they expect to begin the program Dec. 1, 2010. Right now, however, the bidding process has been challenged so this initiative is on hold.

Quotes highlighting vital facts you need to know about this issue:

Dr. Steven Rosenberg, a West Palm Beach dermatologist who sits on the state Board of Medicine, said he's not surprised to hear that the number of pain clinics in this area is growing. It started in Miami-Dade and then moved to Broward County, until authorities started cracking down on them there, he said. And it's not going to stop until the state designs effective legislation to stop Florida from becoming a shop for opiate dealers and pill eaters from across the Eastern Seaboard, he said. 'They'll be in St. Augustine before too long, Rosenberg said. You squeeze the balloon in one corner, the air is going to end up in another.' (The Daytona Beach News Journal)

The nation's top 25 oxycodone-dispensing doctors were all in Florida in the first half of 2008; 18 of them were in Broward County, according to a Broward County state attorney grand-jury report. (Time magazine)

Deaths related to prescription-drug use in Florida rose from 2,780 in 2006 to 3,317 in 2007, and then to 3,750 in 2008. The last figure is equivalent to about 10 reported deaths a day. That's more than the number of fatalities from street drugs like cocaine and heroin. (Time magazine)

*The additonal six states that do not have a prescription drug monitoring program: Alaska, Kansas, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota and Wisconsin and one U.S. territory, Guam. To find out more about this process, log on to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Diversion Control web page.

Sources:
Time magazine
The New Times
The Daytona Beach News Journal
Sun-Sentinel