The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) policies for prescribing Schedule II controlled substances in long-term care practice settings create unnecessary delays in managing patients' pain and conflict with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance, according to a recent letter to the DEA signed by the AAFP, six other national health care organizations, and more than 30 state medical associations. The letter was sent in response to a DEA policy statement published October 6, 2010, in the Federal Register. According to the American Medical Directors Association, who spearheaded the letter, the DEA has been aggressively enforcing regulations for Schedule II controlled substances, forcing health care professionals in long-term care settings to modify longstanding procedures and delaying dispensing of controlled substances to patients who urgently need them.
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