Tennova ceasing opiate prescriptions to pain clinic patients
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennova Healthcare will no longer offer long-term opiate medications to patients at the system’s pain clinics.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports patients of the centers, affiliated with Tennova’s Physicians Regional and Turkey Creek medical centers, have been given letters as they come in for appointments, informing them of the change.
The letter says other non-opiate alternatives will be offered instead.
Health care system spokesman Jerry Askew says the anesthesiologists at the clinics decided to make the change in response to changing regulations and increasing national opiate addiction rates.
Askew says they began notifying physicians and patients of the decision in April.
Tennova is directing patients who wish to discontinue treatment at the centers to the Tennessee Department of Health website, which offers a list of health care facilities.
