Florida Pain Clinic Society Supports Bondi's Appointment of Aronberg

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Society of Pain Management Providers (www.flspmp.org) commends Attorney General Pam Bondi on her appointment of former Senator Dave Aronberg as Special Counsel for pain clinics.

The appointment will keep attention on the pain clinic issue in light of Governor Rick Scott's reorganization and elimination of the Governor's Office on Drug Control.  It was this office that led the way in the 2009 passage of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).

"It is Ms. Bondi's appointment of Senator Aronberg that shows that the Attorney General is making good on her campaign promise to focus more of the offices resources on the pain clinic issue and by selecting Dave Aronberg to lead those efforts she has absolutely chosen the right person for the job," said Warren Pearson, Executive Director of the Society and former FL DOH Chief Prosecutor of Pain Clinics.

The FLSPMP believes that a fully operational PDMP system along with the recently adopted Boards of Medicine's pain clinic rules created pursuant to 2009 legislation (SB462) along with the 2010 legislation that requires all non-physician owned pain clinics to be Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) licensed and inspected will stem this epidemic that has endangered and embarrassed all Floridians. With the above statutes and rules in effect Florida now has the ability to shut down rogue pain clinics.

The FLSPMP urges Senator Aronberg to support immediate funding of the PDMP system along with amending the PDMP legislation as follows:

1. A seven day reporting period within one year of the PDMP's startup.
2. Require mandatory PDMP database review by the treating physician prior to the prescribing of controlled substances.

A final note: The Society publicly thanks Claude Shipley (formally of the Governors Office of Drug Control) for his significant work on the prescription drug issue; society President Paul Sloan stated "I believe that the 2009 passage of the PDMP legislation would not have happened if it were not for the tireless dedication of Mr. Shipley, in this issue he was important and we all owe him our gratitude."

About The Florida Society of Pain Management Providers (FLSPMP)

The Florida Society of Pain Management Providers is a Florida not for profit corporation founded on three principles:

• To ensure Floridians access to affordable and effective pain management.
• To ensure physicians the right to treat chronic pain with controlled medications.
• To ensure that physicians and facilities operate in a safe and responsible manner.

http://www.flspmp.org/

SOURCE Florida Society of Pain Management Providers