Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mass. Medical Society Mulls Supporting Supervised Injection Sites For Drug Users
At the end of April, physicians who set policy for the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) will vote on a recommendation that the group advocate for a supervised injection facility (SIF) pilot program in Massachusetts. The recommendation was approved by a unanimous vote of the board of trustees in February. If approved, the Massachusetts Medical Society says it would become the first statewide physicians group to endorse the idea of a room where a doctor or nurse is on duty while drug users inject, swallow or smoke an illegal substance and ride out a high. (Bebinger, 4/5)
Treating addiction is a growing business in New Hampshire. But a lot of the treatment that鈥檚 available is expensive and patients often relapse. A Connecticut-based company is expanding in New Hampshire with the promise of helping some people pay less money for better results. (Rodolico, 4/6)
Two doctors face sentencing of up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of helping to operate what federal prosecutors say was a Washtenaw County 鈥減ill mill.鈥 Federal officials say Dr. Anthony Conrardy, 61, and Dr. William McCutchen聽III, 46, wrote medically unnecessary prescriptions to hundreds of individuals, charging $250 for a 30-day supply of narcotics. The pair of doctors worked at the Meghnot Comprehensive Center for Hope on Golfside Road in Pittsfield Township where physicians regularly wrote prescriptions for Oxycodone, Dilaudid, Vicodin and other narcotics 鈥渢o drug-seeking individuals purporting to be patients,鈥 according to Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch. (Pepple, 4/5)