Risk, Reward and Pain: Doctor Lessons from An Opioid Trial
Opioid medications continue to be in the news, as demonstrated by the recent nationwide state attorneys-general investigation. This situation only demands more attention from physicians and...
Stethoscopes, Handcuffs and Pain
When does managing pain become a crime? And, what can a healthcare provider do to stay out of trouble in these days of the “opioid...
Vermouth, Bitters and Black Coffee
In speaking of the martini, Winston Churchill supposedly observed “I would like to observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini.” ...
Congressional Investigations, Criminal Cases and The Knights Who Say “Ni!”
We are heading into what appears to be a summer of investigations along the Potomac, some of them in the House and Senate. What are...
Needful of a Negroni Cocktail?
I have been drinking Negroni cocktails recently. The Negroni presents three virtues: it contains gin, it is bitter and it is simple to make (equal...
Electronic Medical Records and Federal Criminal Prosecution
Electronic medical records (or “EMR”) were supposed to be a boon to the provision of healthcare. As two Boston-area physicians point out, EMR are anything...
Mute Oracle: The Controlled Substances Act and Physicians’ Criminal Conduct
Criminal laws are supposed to give persons regulated by the law sufficient notice of what conduct, exactly, is prohibited. Criminal laws, as interpreted by courts,...
Pill Mills, Poppy Flowers, Dead Poets and the Human Resources Department
Having been through a seven-week federal criminal “pill mill” trial, I think a lot about enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act and its effect on...
Christmas Movies and Serial Killers
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Advent, a time in which Christians traditionally prepare themselves by reflection and prayer for the Incarnation,...
Handwriting On The Wall (And In The FBI’s Notes)
As the father of a college-bound high school senior and an eventually college-bound high school sophomore, I pass along to them helpful articles. Whether, in...