The War On Privacy: The DEA Wants Access To Your Medical Records
Radley Balko blogs at the WaPo about the DEA's attempt to use warrantless "administrative subpoenas" to access information on patients from the prescription drug monitoring database. Such databases, are supposed to protect people. As Balko writes:
The thinking is that by creating databases of patients taking controlled substances, we'll be able to catch drug-dealing doctors and intervene on behalf of drug addicted patients.
Balko continues:
It's easy to imagine how this could be abused, how patient data could get into the wrong hands. Imagine a law enforcement officer looking for ammunition in a divorce or custody dispute. Or perhaps a politician who takes the wrong position on police pensions or police accountability might see his painkiller scripts leaked to the press....But Moffat also touches on another, less obvious problem--the chilling effect this will have on doctors. For example, one of the red flags federal investigators look for when looking for doctors to accuse of "drug dealing" is the overall number of prescriptions a given doctor writes for various controlled drugs. That means that as he's deciding your course of treatment, or whether to prescribe opioids to improve your mother's quality of life as she's dying from terminal cancer, he'll be thinking about how many scripts for those drugs he may have already written for other patients. It's an intrusion on the doctor-patient relationship, and could influence a doctor's decisions about a patient's treatment with factors that have nothing to do what's best for that particular patient.
It's the scorched earth approach, don'tcha know? Because a handful of doctors might be over-prescribing opiates, obviously that justifies having open and instantaneous access to every drug ever prescribed since the pilgrims landed.
Patrick at January 25, 2014 5:29 AM
The DEA does not have to do this. All they have to do is wait for the full implementation of the Affordable Health Care act.
Didn't think about that, did you?
Radwaste at January 25, 2014 7:13 AM
Just one of the ways it will be used. I mainly see it used to try to remove all guns from law abiding citizens.
Remember Obamas speech last year and his multipart plan which didn't make any sense since it was about not forbidding Drs to ask/report about guns.
A national gun registry plus a national medical registry.
Hmmm, So what person would stop a new law getting guns away from, depressed/crazy people. It would pass easily. Except it's not just if the gun owner is depressed, but anyone in the house or have access to the house. And it will get expanded, to anyone take medication that might have a side effect of depression.
Joe j at January 25, 2014 8:17 AM
The DEA has been going after pain clinics and doctors for years. This will just accelerate it.
But the software that they are going to use to find the abusers and the doctors is going to is a very sophisticated algorithm.
I wonder what would happen if they applied that same algorithm to teachers and students in public schools. Could they maybe spot bad students and bad teachers?
Jim P. at January 25, 2014 8:54 AM
Well, let's see. If somebody is say, an OBGYN, I'm guessing they might have a large percentage of scrips for birth control or prenatal vitamins.
Somebody who does surgeries all day, say the general surgeon who fixes stuff like hernias, might just prescribe a lot of pain killers. You know, surgery is painful, right?
Regarding the comment on guns and depressed people - not all depressed people are danger risks, nor should one be stigmatized for having a depressive episode during a part of his/her life. Postpartum depression, for instance, might lead to a anti-depressive medication, but that doesn't mean that 20 years later, that has ANY reason to be used for or against somebody having access to something else.
The same is true for people who have more severe forms of Seasonal Affective Disorder or develop depression during really depressing times in their lives. Get depressed because you can't find a job in a crappy economy when you are 20? Too bad - no target shooting for you when you are 60!
Sorry, but I'm tired of depression being used to imply violent/suicidal/anti-social/sociopathic behaviors.
Shannon M. Howell at January 25, 2014 1:41 PM
And, of course, if you use medical marijuana, this gives them a way to single you out for asset forfeiture and arrest under federal statutes.
Assholio at January 25, 2014 2:10 PM
Makes you wonder why all those extremists keep saying we are now living in a police state.
Walt at January 25, 2014 4:05 PM
Sharron, I'm not saying depressed people do, I'm saying the politicians will use that as a way to pass laws. Laws don't need to be about what is real, just about what people fear might be. Anyone who votes against such a law would be branded with the headline 'want's to give guns to crazy people'.
Joe J at January 25, 2014 6:43 PM
Over half the population already believes the government is too big and too intrusive, so this is obviously a necessary step to get that number to one hundred percent.
MarkD at January 26, 2014 6:17 AM
WHY does everyone call me Sharon or Sharron?
Shannon Howell at January 26, 2014 1:50 PM
Sorry, I blame small font and knowing several people named Sharron.
Joe J at January 26, 2014 9:16 PM
Joe,
I'm not angry, but it happens ALL the time. Even when there is no computer/text/font to be blamed. Heck, I got a check sent to me at my address, made out to Sharon! It's just kinda weird.
Shannon M. Howell at January 27, 2014 4:47 AM
"the chilling effect this will have on doctors. "
This is the real intent. The leftists' long-range plan is to limit the hoi-polloi's access to anything beyond the most basic medical care. In their view, advanced care is a privilege that should be limited to the political elites and their clients. I can assure you that a doctor in Washington or Hollywood can write as many opiate prescriptions as necessary, without having any problems with the DEA. (As long as said doctor doesn't do something that embarrasses his superiors, e.g., Michael Jackson's doctor.)
Cousin Dave at January 27, 2014 7:32 AM
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