Colquitt Regional Medical Center in Moultrie
Instead of prescribing the drugs, doctors at the Colquitt Regional Medical Center in Moultrie will refer many patients to specialists. Patients who do receive narcotics will get a limited supply.
Dena Zinker is the hospital’s Assistant Vice President of Nursing. She says reducing the number of drug abusers who return often would cut down on wait times in the E.R.
“We have a good number of patients who come in repeatedly with complaints of pain. And, sometimes it’s headache. Sometimes its backache, you know I fell and hurt my leg, just varying complaints that come in frequently.”
Zinker says people who are really in pain will receive medications. A statewide database is scheduled to come online in 2013 to track prescription drug use.
