Same Day Multiple Prescriptions
 Why is Our Government Pursuing a War on Doctors?

Free Electronic Newsletter

Mayday Scholars Program

The American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics announced a new research program in the area of legal, regulatory and financing issues in pain relief with funding from The Mayday Fund of New York City. This program continues the Society's earlier efforts. A program called "Legal Constraints on Access to Effective Pain Relief," originally conducted in 1995—1997, was funded by The Mayday Fund and The Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation. The Mayday Scholars Program has been funded by The Mayday Fund from 1997—present.

The earlier projects accomplished foundational research in legal issues relating to pain relief, including issues related to professional disciplinary actions, analyses for payment policies for pain management by Blue Cross/Blue Shield Associations and Medicare and Medicaid programs, an examination of criminal investigations and prosecutions of physicians and nurses for pain treatment at the end of life, research on whether undertreatment of pain should be grounds for disciplinary action by state medical boards, pain management in the era of managed care, expanding the role of pharmacists in pain management, gender bias in the treatment of pain, and provider liability for failure to provide effective pain treatment. The Winter 1996 and 1998 and Spring 2001 issues of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics are special issues devoted to the Mayday Scholars' research. Other information concerning the first project is available on the Society's web site at http://www.aslme.org/research.

The newly funded project provides funds to expand scholarship and expertise in legal, regulatory and financing policies that affect access to effective pain relief. The goal of the project is to broaden and deepen both the published scholarship specifically addressing these aspects of the problem of undertreated pain and to increase the number of law, economics and public policy scholars familiar with the specific context of pain relief in all types of health care delivery systems. Expanding the number of individuals with substantial research activity in the area will allow us to expand significantly opportunities for education, training, consultation and media relations in this rather specialized area.

Mayday Scholars will undertake their own research projects. The Society will provide peer reviewers for the written product of the Scholars' projects. The Scholars will present their work at a Scholars' Workshop, which will be supported by the project.

The Society has identified the following topics as priorities; but candidates for the Scholars Program are encouraged to design their own projects as well:

• Access to Pain Relief and Medicaid Fraud and Abuse
• Worker's Compensation and Chronic Pain
• Experience of Boards of Nursing in Monitoring Prescribing Practices of Advanced Practice Nurses
• Managed Care and Pain Relief (including policies and payment issues relating to referrals, discharge, choice of treatment)
• Treatment of pain in prisons
• Improving the Investigation Process of Professional Disciplinary Agencies for Prescribing Practices Related to Pain Management
• Pharmaceutical Benefits Management and the Assessment of Pain and Discomfort Specific Institutional and Regulatory Contexts for Pain Management (e.g., nursing facilities, home care)