Feeling no pain
A pain clinic in nearby Vancouver, Washington, has been getting some press lately, and it’s not positive. The clinic has been accused of overprescribing pain medication and has been under investigation. The Payette Clinic opened in 2005 and is run by nurse practitioners (i.e., there are no medical doctors on staff). On March 19, 2009, the clinic’s records were seized in a raid by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and on March 23 the clinic informed its patients that it would no longer prescribe Class II opiates, such as oxycodone or morphine (many area pharmacies had stopped filling prescriptions from the Payette Clinic). On March 30 Washington State’s Department of Health filed charges against one of the nurse practitioners for improper prescribing.
The Department of Health had received dozens of complaints about the clinic since it opened. The clinic is said to treat patients suffering from chronic pain with high doses of addictive pain medications.
So what are your thoughts on this? Does the clinic seem legitimate? Is it providing a necessary service and serving a community ignored by other medical facilities?
This was posted
on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 and is filed in the Patient Care categories.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
my husband has been a patient at the Payette clinic for about four years. He suffers from RSD which is severe nerve damage all through his body.. he has been through pain clinics and procedure after procedure including nerve blocks steroid injections and even acupuncture. this was pretty much his last hope. when we found the payette clinic and met kelly for him it was a miracle because kelly saved his life. he was in so much pain all the time that he wanted to die. kelly helped him mentally as well as physically. she was clear like all other have also said that this was not a cure but his best chance at haveing somewhat of a life rather than simply existing.. she gave him four great years and she is not the one who put him on this it was the surgeon she just increased it to what was good for him.. what people dont understand we had been to doctor one after another and they spend ten minutes with you and think they know what you go through and what is best for you.. Kelly is a realist about life dibilitating pain and what it takes for some to have a life back.. now that she can no longer prescribe for him he lays in bed day after day staring at the ceiling begging me some days to let him die.. how is that fair.. he was taken my abulance a couple days ago and they would not help him because he was a patient at the payett clinic. he is only 40 and this all started from a simple same day surgery that left him completley disabled only hours after surgery when he was 32.. we lost everything our kids and family have been through hell when we finally found hope with kelly now we are back to square one.. and nobody wants to help because of all the publicity maybe they should report on the other side on how it affects those who truly need it. im disgusted in the so called real doctors.. there should be more like kelly not just about prescriptions she cares we have spent countless hours with her through her lunch she always takes the time… can you say the same for the “real doctors” half of them dont even remember our name when we were patients for years.. kelly takes the time to really know you and your history but she is no pushover she is very strict about her policies. its too bad that the DEA can play judge jury and executioner with so many peoples lives who they have never met or would take the time to meet.. maybe they want to come spend a week or even a day with my husband and then say what she gave him was too much.
Larae Corzine
corzn2@aol.com
April 18th, 2009 at 7:58 am
THE PAYETTE CLINIC IS ONE OF THE BEST CLINICS AROUND THEY DO WHAT THEY ARE
SUPPOSED TO DO. THE IDIOT THAT SOLD THE
PILLS TO THE TEENAGERS MAKES IT NO FAULT
OF PAYETTES. THEY ARE NOT THE ONES WHO
SOLD HER THE PILL THAT SHE SMOKED IT ALSO
WAS SAID SHE BOUGHT HEROIN THAT SAME DAY COINCIDENCE OR WHAT! IF HE WOULDNT HAVE GOT IT FROM PAYETTE HE WOULD HAVE FOUND IT SOMWHERE ELSE SO LIGHTEN UP. IT BOILES DOWN TO HIM DOING WHAT HE WAS ALREADY TOLD NOT TO DO. SO PUT THE BLAIM WHERE IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE AND LEAVE THE CLINIC ALONE. UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH. IVE HAD SOME PRETTY BAD SKIN GRAFS THEY HAVE HELPED ME A WHOLE LOT. SO MORE POWER TO YOU GUYS AT PAYETTE
JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL. A. NELSON
April 18th, 2009 at 8:11 am
ALSO THEY ARE VERY LEGIMATE AS FAR AS WE
CAN SEE. I JUST HOPE ONE OF YOU FEEL THIS PAIN ONE DAY ITS NOT FUN WHEN YOU CAN BARELY WALK. I HAVE HAD MANY DAYS LIKE THAT. THOSE PRESCRIPTIONS DID WONDERS FOR ME AND I ALSO TAKE THEM LIKE I AM SUPPOSED TO. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL PAYETTE WORKERS. A.NELSON
May 11th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Kelly Bell is an Honest, compassionate, caring person, she is also a very tough women and was very strict when it came to the polices of her practice, this came as an absolute shock to me as Im sure many others, like I said there were many polices, pain contracts, UA checks, (I had a UA done almost every month) and kelly would NOT put up with an abuse of medication nor so called (playing DR. yourself with your meds.) She was tough and strict and if you did not follow the rules there were NO second chances. Kelly was an angel to many of us suffering from chronic pain as she believed us and did not treat us like addicts, like so many dr’s do..most dr’s wont even touch a pain patient for fear of liability reasons..Kelly provided a much needed service to many people and it is a down right shame that that has been taken from her, a practice she worked so hard to build, she followed all the rules. She has helped so many of us, its time we stood up and helped her. She ran a much needed, legitamate buisness in the community for pain patients and others, We need her back…
May 25th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
On a different note, when will the DEA release their determination as to whether these meds were prescribed in good (or bad) faith ?
Would a bad faith determination by DEA give rise to liability suits against the clinic and/or the individuals under question ?
-just curious ?
June 8th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Hello,
I say just like others. Kelly,Penny and the rest of the staff at payette really cared about you. I felt much better when I was going to the payette clinic. No other doctor wants to prescribe you anything for chronic pain. So not only do you feel bad and can barely get out of bed then you also have manger withdrawl. And the DEA does not care because it is not them with the chronic pain nor the withdrawls from the medication. I think the payette clinic did wonders for many people. They gave their lives back to them. Now since the DEA will not allow the payette clinic to pratice chronic pain all of the patients are suffering worse than before. Thanks DEA, I hope none of you ever have to live with chronic pain and if you do I hope no doctor will give you the medicine needed to help you chronic pain. Enough said. No one knows what other people go through because everyone if different.
God Bless you all!
June 28th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
To: Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys,
What kind of client are you fishing for?
Someone that will tell your firm they were poorly treated at the Payette Clinic?
OR
The Payette Patient, Humiliated, misdiagnosed, mistreated, then released with incomplete information & release notes, that include the 6 signs of lung disease found during the ER visit and never discussed with the patient that arrived at the ER with a traumatic GI event that included chest pain! Are you fishing for that kind of client?
NEVER mistreated at the Payette Clinic.
I’ve only been mistreated at the SWMC Southwest Washington Medical Center!
Steven Baum
July 4th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
It is appalling how legitimate pain patients are treated in WA state. There is an undercurrent running amuck in WA state. The belief is that if you need high dose pain relief then you are an addict. Even if you need low dose pain relief you are still treated with disrespect, and treated unjustly. The drugs used to treat pain have been demonized and unfortunately any person needing these same drugs for pain relief are being demonized as well.
75 million Americans live with pain on a daily basis. It is costing the american economy BILLIONS of dollars annually due to lost productivity, work days missed, and health care costs. When will we wake up and start working on the problem rather than pointing fingers at legitimate healthcare providers who have a compassionate heart with the knowledge and skill to make a difference in the lives of people with daily pain and try to do the right thing.
DID anyone in the DEA or the DOH even consider the consequences to the patients who are now without healthcare let alone the life saving pain medications (Yes, life saving, because many contemplate death rather than live another day in that kind of pain) Did anyone have a plan as to where these thousands of patients would go for continued care???
Patient rights to access healthcare has been violated. and this is not the first time this has happened in WA state it is played out over and over. systematically shutting down any clinic that will have the courage to treat the person in pain with compassion, respect and justice.
It has come to pass that in order to treat a person in pain you need a lie detector machine, a PhD degree in mind reading and a course in fraud detection.
NOTE: If you have erectile disfunction no one asks you to PROVE it in order to get viagra.
Injustice has been done to pain patients over and over…I have been a pain management nurse for over 20 years and it has not changed much in all those years…patients still have to beg to be treated for their pain..they have to prove they are in pain…they have to sign contracts…they have to endure urine testing on demand….just to get the pain mangement they deserve.
I ask you how many patients with Diabetes, hypertension or heart disease get such treatment…and I dare ask how many of these patients adhere to the therapeutic regimen they have been prescribed. how many take their medications EXACTLY as prescribed…not many I can assure you…and NOT one, I repeat NOT one of them gets kicked out of a clinic practice. But their non compliance is costing us the tax payer BILLIONS of dollars in healthcare costs each year due to complications of their disease caused by their non adherence to their prescribed medications, diet and care plan in general.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:06 am
I was a Payette patient from 06/08-04/09. My nurse practitioner was Penny Steers, she was very nice, gave good alternative advice on pain, and seemed to understand my pain and problems.
I was started on 160mg of Methadone, 90mg of Oxycodone, 4 Soma, & (3) 2mg Clonazepam daily. Within 6 months I was up to 180mg of Methadone, 560mg of Morphine (no typo), along with Soma, Clonazepam, & Zoloft.
When the clinic was closed,, the state sent letters to every doctor, hospital, & clinic in Washington & Oregon telling them not to prescribe any formar Payette patient narcotics of any kind. I had to go thru 3 1/2 weeks of detox(uncontrollable movement, spasms in whole body, high blood pressure, temporary paralysis of the legs, lost 40 lbs, and my organs were shutting down.
I called over 50 doctors in the area and when I said I was a former Payette patient, they would not see me. I was REFUSED medical care.
That is the Washington State Board of Health and this Washington Nurse Compliance Agency’s fault. I had to have a family membercome get me (couldn’t walk), and move me back to Louisiana. I lost my home and almost everything in it.
I am not saying they were not overprescribing. After the withdrawals, I was like where have I been the past year. In a fog. Yet, I realize now after researching pain meds that they were overmedicating.
Who’s to blame? Payette Clinic turned me from a pain management client into an addict. The board of health caused me to be refused healthcare- I blame them more than anyone. Just shut the clinic down and move on, the letters going out to all doctors in the area was too much.
They just assumed that everyone from Payette clinic was a junkie, there are so many people I saw there riddled in pain. I think the state should be sued for refusal of healthcare.
I am living back in Louisiana now and seeing a local physician for my pain. I get a Fentynal Patch 100mcg/hr, 3 Soma, 2 Clonazepam, & 2 Seroquil daily. My pain is managable with this level of meds. That is all I wanted is to be out of pain, not to move over 2,000 miles away for healthcare dur to the state medical board and their BS letter.
July 28th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Somehow we have lost site of the fact that a young lady bought a drug off of somebody that had gotten it due to his “medical issues”, used it for her “own” self medicating ways and killed herself. How did that become a medical clinic’s responsibility, when she was not a patient there, she did not belong to Payette Clinic. I have been to the clinic several times, I am not a “pain patient” just a regular patient, and Kelly Bell happens to be one of the smartest, compassionate direct medical professionals that I know. It is a shame that two people have caused so much problems for someone who just cares about people and their health, not how fast she can turn over a patient to make more $$. Too bad there are not more medical professional’s out there like her.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Kelly is my medical provider and has been for going on 2 years I call her my doctor, because that is what she is in my opinion! She handles all my healthcare and is more thuro than any doctor I have been to. I Have digestive issues that cause me to throw up quite often and frequently I get dehydrated, all i have to do is call the clinic and tell them it’s happening again, Kelly know’s exactly who I am and what I need! Everytime I call she tells me to get in there now and as soon as I get there I am escorted to a room with a huge comfy bed and given IV fluids! I have been there somtimes till almost 10pm and Kelly stays right there with me! Tell me any other clinician that does that, there isn’t one! Yes I am also a former pain patient of hers but I stick with her because of the quality of care I get for my other issues! When I first started there Kelly explained the difference between being physically dependent on pain meds and actually being an addict, the difference is an addict doesn’t need the pain meds for pain they just want them to get high. Someone with chronic pain needs the pain meds to function in their life, ie:hold down jobs, be able to cook for their family or clean there house! I am also physically dependent on my diabetic meds and my high blood pressure meds but I bet no one would ever say I was an addict of those med! I think all of us patients from Payette should get together and file a lawsuit against the family of that girl, the guy who sold the meds and the state of washington for interferring with our right to healthcare and to try and live a normal life with our afflictions! I know that Payette has a really good chance of beating this and I will do whatever needs to be done on my end to help them get back to where the were and doing what they really enjoy and that’s helping people live a productive life with their afflictions.
September 6th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Southwest Washington Medical Center is TARGETING ALL Payette Clinic Patients AND:
* Humiliating,
* Mistreating (Psychologically and Physically),
* Misdiagnosing,
* Medical Negligence,
* Modifying Medical Records in an attempt to
hide the truth about the Horrific treatment
of the Payette Clinic Patients!
Southwest Washington Medical Center was desperate to STEAL the Payette Clinic Patients
Because of the economy.
NOW, the SW Washington Medical Center has an overload of Pain patients and a waiting list!
That’s Very convenient and timely. The CASH is rolling in with all those Special treatments?
YOU other Payette Clinic Patients (REMEMBER THIS) ALL of the Hospitals and Local Clinics in the area are going to treat YOU like a piece of Dirt! If that hospital or any other clinic Hurts or Humiliates You or a Family member make sure to get an attorney and Sue them – Do Not go through their Patient Relations department – it’s a scam to get YOU to sign a release of your Medical Records to Someone they DON’T and WILL NOT identify!
Get an Attorney of your own and have them review your records before doing anything with a Patient Relations Department.
Read the Patient Rights information given to you by these Hospitals and Clinics: Then compare that information to the treatment you received!
November 10th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Glad they are out of business as they made over 198+ NEW ADDICTS!! by over prescribing pain pills. I bet if you were made an addict from the clinic you all who are addicts can come together in a class action suit for rehab to get the treatment you need.
Sorry Steven.. Why sue SWWM? as they arent the ones who turned most into addicts . They weret the ones getting the money for over perscribing.
From what I’ve seen from the addict’s as that’s what many of you are now are going into SWWMC DEMANDING!! pain pills.. sorry you wont get them at the dosage you once got. You’ll get your meds at the CORRECT dosage, plus you’ll only get the correct dosage if it’s really needed.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:22 am
198 addicts. Sounds like someone with information they shouldn’t have to play with.
It’s impossible with my testing levels that I was in the group.
As one of the TOP Pain management Physicians in the world has told me, In
reference to my medical treatment in Oregon & Washington since 2006, and excluding the
Payette Clinic.
“You are one of the most, If not the most
Medically Neglected Patient I have ever seen”
“I don’t know how you get up, and do anything from day to day.”
Oh, and this Physician has consulted for the
DEA, FDA, and is an Expert witness against other Physicians.
I made sure to report to the DEA I was his Patient.
Good Bye, Nice Try
Oh, they’re not out of business – I guess you haven’t heard yet. A little Slooww…..
January 27th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I know this is old news but with the NP still practicing only not being able to prescribe Class II medications I am so angry. I personally referred patients to their clinic with legitimate pain needs. They did not go into that clinic as addicts but they sure came out as addicts. We had to have several patients detoxed after they came back to us.
Not only was there overuse of the prescription pad but the methods of delivery of the meds were so outlandish! I would not be surprised if it was that NP that showed someone how to snort the meds.
If I had my way the provider would never be able to see another patient ever again. 24 months is way too short of a period of time to be on probation for this. Especially when the word on the street is that she is just telling patients where they can get the meds.
The entire place should have been shut down!
September 12th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Your comments about SW Washington Medical Center are correct. In my case they should be brought up on murder charges. I was misdiagnosed and kicked out of the hospital without proper medical treatment. I left to come to Case Western only to have the lies about my addiction to pain meds passed on to medical and pharmacy staff here. In fact, I was not on any opioid medication while I was a patient at SWWM. I was started on pain meds a few weeks after they kicked me out of the hospital by a Public clinic in Oregon. All of the area doctors refused to prescribe to me although I have never been addicted and actually stopped my schedule III medications because of the harassment. I was denied medical treatment for my adrenal insufficiency and it turns out that they prescribed a medication that is dangerous to someone with a heart condition and refused to start me back on the schedule III medication although I had undergone three evaluations by pain clinics in Oregon.
While I was in the hospital I get a letter from my disability insurance company saying that they are ending my benefits. I was kicked out of inpatient care at SWWM in September 2007 and told to go see a psychiatrist although my blood pressure was 235/100+. I was kicked out of inpatient care at SWWM in September 2007 moved to Ohio. Suddenly my insurance company ended my disability benefits with seven days notice and these same doctors told the insurance company that nothing was wrong with me. I was forced to moved to Ohio for medical care and ended up in a homeless shelter for three months.
Now I am coming home to be with my children while I die. My heart is so damaged that any strain on my heart causes complete obliteration of my left ventricle due to a mid-body blockage in my heart. I have small fiber neuropathy and I am in constant pain. They are still working out what caused it. My lungs are damaged, my kidneys are damaged. This happened because I have chronic pain due to severe arthritis than confined me to a wheelchair. SWWM never told me that something was wrong with my heart although they did several echocardiograms. I did not get suspicious until I got my medical records from the hospital on my way out of state. It took me a while to find a great pain doctor and now I have to move back to the OR/WA area and endure this harassment again.
Maybe the fact that I am dying will make a difference