The American Health Care Association has slammed proposed legislation aimed at easing painkiller regulations in nursing homes.
Proposed by Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI), the bill would let certain staff members administer controlled substances to nursing home residents, per a physician’s verbal orders.
But while Kohl’s bill is designed to empower the staff to treat residents’ pain more efficiently, it also requires them to document in writing each step of the process to satisfy U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency guidelines.
That’s too burdensome, says Greg Crist, AHCA’s vice president of public affairs.
“Caregivers need to be focused on treating the pain, not filling out more paperwork,” he told McKnight’s.
Nor does the legislation go far enough to prevent the diversion of controlled substances, AHCA said, adding that greater effort should be spent preventing sales and theft of prescription drugs. AHCA officials said they hope for more discussions with Kohl. n
From the November 01, 2011 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
