Laws and regulations have not kept up with the evolution of modern medicine, however, and in a recent review of the Controlled Substances Act, the Department of Justice determined that legislation is needed to codify “standing orders.” Absent congressional action, patients may lose access to those life-saving medications in emergency situations and established practice will be disrupted because laws have not kept up with the evolution of medicine.

To remedy this dilemma, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., have introduced legislation to clarify that the current practice of physicians overseeing care provided by paramedics and other emergency medical service practitioners via standing orders is statutorily allowed and protected. The use of standing orders is necessary so that physician medical directors can establish these preset protocols that emergency medical service practitioners follow in delivering emergency medical care. Without standing orders, patients would not have access to the time-sensitive and potentially life-saving interventions they so desperately need.

This legislation ensures patients will continue to receive these vital medications by codifying the practice of standing orders by a physician for the administration and delivery of controlled substances, while maintaining physician oversight of medical decisions.

This legislation is endorsed by more than a dozen associations of medical and emergency first responders.

Heidi Lincoln-Taylor

Mancos