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Despite New Law, Thousands Of Doctors In N.C. Are Over-Prescribing Opioids

An arrangement of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen, also known as Percocet. AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File

Several recent surveys show that thousands of doctors in North Carolina are over-prescribing opioids, in violation of a new state law. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says more than 16,000 doctors across the state prescribed too many opioids in March alone.

The survey, which was presented to the state Medical Board on Tuesday, focuses on physicians.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield released a study on Monday that claims about 4,500 doctors, dentists and other medical professionals wrote prescriptions exceeding state-mandated limits between January and April.

The NC STOP Act went into effect January 1st.  The law limits opioid prescriptions to five days for first-time patients with short-term pain, or seven days if the patient had surgery.

The News and Observer reports the March survey is the first time DHHS has provided the Medical Board with the names of errant doctors.

The paper says while the board is questioning the accuracy of the data, it's taking the scale of potential violations seriously, and scrambling to address the issue.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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