Events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism about health care and health in Kentucky
With generic versions of the two most commonly-abused painkillers, Opana and OxyContin, coming on the market next year, police, hospitals and health clinics in Kentucky have voiced concern that “these...
Patients in long-term treatment with controlled substances won’t have to have their urine tested for drugs unless they are on painkillers, and doctors will have wide discretion over how often...
There’s new criticism from Kentucky’s doctors in an analysis of the state’s four-month old prescription drug law, showing that a lot of what state officials have touted as the law’s...
A bipartisan group of Kentucky lawmakers are looking ahead to fixing the much complained about “unintended consequences” of last spring’s hastily passed bill aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse. Still,...
Gov. Steve Beshear gave credit this week to House Bill 1 for reducing the number of prescriptions written for frequently abused controlled substances and for closing the doors on 10...
The Courier-Journal‘s health reporter, Laura Ungar, is again delving into the prescription pain-pill epidemic in Kentucky, this time focusing on babies who are born addicted. For any reporter interested in...
Dr. Kathy Nieder, with patient charts(C-J photo by Michael Clevenger) Dr. Ralph Alvarado’s medical practice in Winchester has prescribed controlled substances to 1,800 patients in Central Kentucky over the past three...
With lawmakers set to review the regulations of the “pill mill bill” Wednesday, doctors are saying some legitimate patients are having trouble getting access to prescription drugs as a result...
By Tara Kaprowy Kentucky Health News Just days after new legislation has taken effect to combat prescription drug abuse, four pain clinics in Kentucky say they will close, Gov. Steve...
Ambien and Ritalin are among the drugs that will be tracked through the state’s drug monitoring system, with medical licensure boards issuing emergency regulations that are more expansive than originally...