HONOLULU (May 15, 2013)― The Hawaii Rx Drug Summit 2013 focuses on impact of prescription drug abuse, particularly of narcotics, on patients, businesses and society.   Assembling stakeholders from government agencies, the medical community, law enforcement, and insurance industry, the summit examines prescription drug trends, cost drivers, and the dangers of using long-term opioids for chronic pain management, including addiction, overdose and death.

Nationally recognized managed care expert Joseph Paduda examines the practice of physician dispensing of marked-up repackaged drugs.

“Some doctors make a lot of money charging a lot more for drugs dispensed in their offices than in retail pharmacies,” Paduda said.  “Hawaii ranks 24 in the nation for the number of Hydrocodone prescriptions sold in doctor’s offices, but only 43 when Hydrocodone is sold in a retail pharmacy.  Could there be a perverse incentive for dispensing doctors to prescribe this addictive pain killer so much more often?”  Continue reading →