Posted: 5:34 pm EDT October 1, 2010
Updated: 6:22 pm EDT October 1, 2010
CENTRAL FLORIDA -- A new state law is cracking down on pill mills. It's a new effort that some say could save lives; in the past year, 2,500 people died in Florida from prescription pill abuse.
The law will impact all pain specialists and their patients. Anyone who walks into a pain management clinic will notice some changes starting Friday, even if your clinic is legitimate. But the law is really aimed at getting rid of the ones that aren't.
Just getting out of the car can be excruciating for J.J. Uhlenhake.
"I have nine herniated discs in total," he said.
Uhlenhake says a work injury, followed by a car crash, left him dependent on oxycodone.
"Without pain management, I wouldn't be a construction worker still. I would be in a wheelchair," he said.
Now he and millions of patients will be impacted by a new law aimed at cracking down on pill mills, like some that were busted in Orange City and Sanford just this week (read report).
Starting Friday, only certified physicians can own a pain clinic and, by 2012, and those doctors must have specialized training in pain management. Offices that dispense on-site can provide no more than three days worth of pills if the patient is paying with cash or a credit card instead of insurance.
Local cities and counties have recently passed ordinances to make it tougher for pill mills to operate, but a ban on 'cash only' clinics in Orange County, for example, could be ineffective if abusers can just drive to a clinic in another county or city nearby.
"We tend to get concerned when we see patients travel long distances to visit us," pain specialist Dr. Daniel Frohwein said.
Frohwein said a law on the state level is the best solution.
"I think it's good to see continuity there, where the legislation is unified. It will cause less confusion," he said.
There are people out there who think the new law is too extreme and it should not group the good clinics with the bad. In fact, some doctors and patients in south and Central Florida have filed a lawsuit against the state to reverse the new rules.