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Pain bill may hurt rural Oklahoma |
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 |
If State Representative Gus Blackwell of Hooker has his way, House Bill 1133 will die a bloody death on the floor of the legislature.
By LEE COLEMAN
Assistant Editor
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If State Representative Gus Blackwell of Hooker has his way, House Bill 1133 will die a bloody death on the floor of the legislature.
HB 1133 as designed would reduce the number of pain-management treatment providers in rural Oklahoma, giving suffering rural citizens two choices: to live in pain or drive hours for treatment.
"This bill would really restrict Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) in the practice of chronic pain," said Blackwell during a speech last week at an Eggs and Issues breakfast. "We have a CRNA here [Guymon] who is the only one within a two and a half hour radius. Elk City has one.
"They are working to shut both of these practices down. This bill would allow medical doctors to continue to do what they want."
Essentially, the bill would roll back the ability of CRNAs to provide pain management to rural Oklahomans. CRNAs operate under the supervision of MDs and osteopathic physicians in 41 Oklahoma counties where no anesthesiologists practice. Conversely, there is no county in Oklahoma where anesthesiologists solely operate.
"It is a very bad bill," explained Blackwell. "It's a bill pushed by a special interest group that have made some quite large contributions to the people pushing the bill on the House side.
"The bottom line is, it hurts rural hospitals and it doesn't help public health and it doesn't help urban hospitals. It's simply a bill that hurts rural hospitals.
"The question is, why would you want to run that legislation?" Blackwell asked. "The answer is easy. Follow the money. If in doubt, follow the money."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 April 2010 )
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