ABSTRACT
This chapter contains a basic discussion of federal and state laws governing the use of controlled medications for pain management. Legal and medical professionals recognize that controlled medications are important to the treatment of pain and often may be the only treatment available for some patients. “Physicians must also abide by any requirements imposed by their state medical boards with respect to proper prescribing practices and what constitutes a bona fide physician–patient relationship”. Periodic review involves patient follow-up care and medical supervision commensurate with the individual patient needs and the scope of the clinician’s medical practice. Like state regulations and policy statements, the Model Policy contains a list of medical records that pain clinicians should keep. A good faith effort to comply with legal/regulatory directives and policies, together with clinical guidelines, may not stop a lawsuit but can certainly help determine its outcome and, most importantly, preserve patient access to quality medical care.
