Tuesday-Newsday #84

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! Instead of a featured blog post this week, I’m sad to report that the anti-Fail First bill in California, AB 369, has been vetoed by the Governor. You’ll find all the details about it at the end of this post. 

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below. 

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*FDA ALERTS and WARNINGS

ALERT: Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen Tablets Recalled

FDA warns of fake agents trying to extort money from people who buy medications online or by phone

Most Online Pharmacies Fake, FDA Warns

*MEDICATION NEWS

Suboxone Maker Pulls Pills in Favor of Sublingual Film

Excedrin Migraine Production Resumes - but will only be available in limited supply when it hits shelves this month

Goody’s Answers Call from Consumers for Pain and Migraine Relief

Study Finds NSAID Use Risky After Heart Attack

Drug Abuse Office Offers Videos for Docs on the Safe Use of Opioids for Pain

*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS

100 Million People In Pain Awareness Campaign: Finding Power Over Pain

To coincide with Chronic Pain Awareness Month, Mediaplanet published a special report in USA Today. "One of the most misunderstood health care issues today in spite of its prevalence and cost, pain is invisible, undetectable on x-rays, blood tests, or any other measure," Penney Cowan, Founder and Executive Director of the American Chronic Pain Association states in the publication's foreword. "Left untreated, pain will not only destroy the person with pain, but too often the family, as well." To see the report and all the interviews and information in contains on chronic pain, click the headline above.

8 Signs You Need to Visit Your Pain Physician

Having a chronic illness like Rheumatoid Arthritis can put a lot of stress on a relationship — it could even lead to divorce

No Pain No Gain? A new perspective on avoidance behavior in daily life people’s behavior is often driven by multiple – and often competing – goals 

*PATIENT NEWS

Letting patients read doctors’ visit notes has positive impact

The dark side of hospital errors: One doctor says "patients are walking in blind" every time they choose a hospital

Why patients don't report medical errors

Ultra-thin electronics that dissolve inside the body have been devised by scientists in the US and could be used for a range of medical roles

*SPINE ISSUES

Soaring U.S. Spinal Care Spending Due to Specialists: Out-of-hospital medical costs nearly doubled in about a decade

Early MRI Scans Don't Lead to Better Outcomes in Back Injury

Patients With Low Back Pain Benefit From Advice To Stay Active

Gene Flaw Linked To Lumbar Disc Degeneration 

One-fifth of spine surgery patients develop PTSD symptoms

New Surgery for Back Pain from SI Joint 

Vitamin D Levels, Absorption and Lower Back Pain After Failed Surgery

Fixing Spinal Fractures Without Surgery (Balloon Kyphoplasty)

Back Surgery Breakthrough: The Spine Robot

Pregabalin Improves Neuropathic Pain, Sleep Problems Due to Spinal Cord Injury

*UPDATE FOR CALIFORNIANS: AB 369 VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR

I am so upset! I just found out the the bi-partisan bill to ban Fail First, which had passed through the legislature and made it all the way to the Governor’s desk, has been vetoed!  

If you wish to read his veto (In my opinion, it sounds as if he is more sympathetic to insurers than to patients!) you can read yourself it HERE.

The nonprofit organization For Grace was the sponsor of the bill, and you can read their response to this terrible disappointment HERE.

What is Fail First?

AB 369 would have prohibited California health plans from requiring pain patients to try and fail on more than two treatments before allowing them to get what was originally prescribed by their doctor. The bill would also have allowed physicians to determine the duration of each “step.” This protocol is used as a cost-saving measure, but in the long run it can actually increase costs because creating a delay in care can increase resistance to treatment or cause other health complications. 

Other states, such as New York and New Jersey, are also trying to pass similar laws. To find out if your state has any bills pending on this issue, check this specialized MAP and then click on your state. To keep on top of all Rx related legislation across the country, to hear how patients are being affected, and to connect with patients like yourself, visit the website FailFirstHurts.org or join them on Facebook.