I have observed, others have voiced concern and now a Kentucky provider has met a violent death which confirms that the behavior of patients seeking controlled substances has escalated to an unacceptable level. A number of doctors are telling me that they are concerned about this happening again and that something needs to be done.

Just a few months ago hundreds of alleged drug dealers were arrested as part of “Operation Flamingo Road.” It was to stop the so-called pill pipeline from Florida to Kentucky. For a short time the number of pills flowing into the part of the state I call home diminished. But as we can see that’s still not enough.

The Kentucky Medical Examiners Office says in 2008 Kentucky led the nation in the use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Preliminary numbers from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics confirmed that 877 deaths in the Commonwealth were attributed to prescription drug overdoses last year. In our impoverished areas, the prescription drug problem leads to crimes such as robbery, burglary and theft. Now we can unfortunately add murder.

It’s been suggested to me that the Healthcare Providers of this Commonwealth come together as leaders in the healthcare delivery system and implement a Kentucky Providers Bill of Rights. The providers, and not the patient, must have the final say in diagnosis and treatment. What I am seeing is that the paradigm has flipped and now some patients are telling us what their diagnosis is, how and when to treat them and become angry if we don’t follow their wishes. Unfortunately if a provider disagrees a serious breach in the relationship can occur with the potential for heightened tension levels, and at the worst…. murder.

But it doesn’t stop there. I think it’s important for legislators in Washington to create a national prescription drug monitoring program. We’ve got to start addressing this drug epidemic at all levels. This is not a local issue or a state issue, but a national concern. There are families being torn apart by this prescription drug craze. People are dying every week. Something has got to be done and we need to start today.

Dr. Dennis Sandlin paid the ultimate price. We don’t need to loose another doctor. Our people are paying the price through broken homes, prison times and sometimes death. This has got to stop. We have paid enough.