daverx
October 25th, 2003, 08:19 AM
I have posted about this before in other threads, but in light of the new restrictions on controlled substances, I think it's worth another look:
A patient who wants a controlled substance has to submit recent medical records that show a diagnosis, exam, previous prescription for the meds, etc.- whatever would be easiest for the patient to come up with but would also still be legal. The patient faxes the records along with some other forms to the OP. The OP schedules a phone consultation where the doctor spends some time with the patient. There is really no medical questionnaire, the only things you fill out online are billing/shipping related.
The companies who already do this have disclaimers you agree to saying that this constitutes an emergency doctor-patient relationship. The doctor is not diagnosing anything, he is just carrying on the treatment given by another doctor out of medical neccessity.
Examples of companies who already do this are http://www.youronlinedoctor.com (http://www.youronlinedoctor.com) , http://www.norcoworldwide.com , http://www.aaamedsworldwide.com and a bunch more.
They make plenty of money even though they require records. It is not hard for a patient to come up with records, some of the sites even have a form that you can download and bring to Urgent Care or another doc-in-the-box for the doctor to fill out which will take the place of the records.
If a physical exam and diagnosis already exist, why does the patient need a new one? Has the DEA said anything regarding this specific type of service? It has been around for a while, does provide an important service to legitimate patients, etc.As long as the doctor has evidence of the existing medical complaint and it shows there was a physical exam taken, why does this have to be repeated for the doctor writing the scripts?
These type of sites generally don't have affiliate programs, but I don't see why they couldn't start. It generally costs $80-100 for the consultation, which gets you 90 of the meds you want with 2 refills.
What do you all think about this and would it be a viable alternative? If there were some kind of clear answer saying this was legal, I would consider just going into the business myself, forgetting about being an affiliate.
-daverx
A patient who wants a controlled substance has to submit recent medical records that show a diagnosis, exam, previous prescription for the meds, etc.- whatever would be easiest for the patient to come up with but would also still be legal. The patient faxes the records along with some other forms to the OP. The OP schedules a phone consultation where the doctor spends some time with the patient. There is really no medical questionnaire, the only things you fill out online are billing/shipping related.
The companies who already do this have disclaimers you agree to saying that this constitutes an emergency doctor-patient relationship. The doctor is not diagnosing anything, he is just carrying on the treatment given by another doctor out of medical neccessity.
Examples of companies who already do this are http://www.youronlinedoctor.com (http://www.youronlinedoctor.com) , http://www.norcoworldwide.com , http://www.aaamedsworldwide.com and a bunch more.
They make plenty of money even though they require records. It is not hard for a patient to come up with records, some of the sites even have a form that you can download and bring to Urgent Care or another doc-in-the-box for the doctor to fill out which will take the place of the records.
If a physical exam and diagnosis already exist, why does the patient need a new one? Has the DEA said anything regarding this specific type of service? It has been around for a while, does provide an important service to legitimate patients, etc.As long as the doctor has evidence of the existing medical complaint and it shows there was a physical exam taken, why does this have to be repeated for the doctor writing the scripts?
These type of sites generally don't have affiliate programs, but I don't see why they couldn't start. It generally costs $80-100 for the consultation, which gets you 90 of the meds you want with 2 refills.
What do you all think about this and would it be a viable alternative? If there were some kind of clear answer saying this was legal, I would consider just going into the business myself, forgetting about being an affiliate.
-daverx