| Why all the urine testing and pill counts? |
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It is easy to feel paranoid that we are singling YOU out. Not so. There are two main reasons for doing urine testing and pill counts on a regular basis: First: SAFETY! Any one taking narcotics or Suboxone is carefully monitored because severe (sometimes fatal) reactions can occur in overusing these meds, or combining them with illicit medications and street drugs. We use a variety of tools to include physical assessment, patient's daily activities, pill counts, and urine testing. Urine testing validates the presence of the drug we prescribe, and the absence of potentially dangerous drugs we do not. Pill counts verify that the medication has not been overused or worse (sold). Second: COMPLIANCE! The Drug Enforcement Agency mandates that we make a very serious effort to identify and report any potential drug abuse and/or diversion among patients using narcotics for pain management. Also, the State Medical Board mandates that we follow its guidelines for good medical care to include random drug screening for all patients taking chronic narcotics. Therefore, urine testing and pill count results protect both the patient and the provider from legal ramifications.
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