Some hospitals found that very few of their physicians had registered to prescribe controlled substances -- even among physicians who had many patients likely to need these medications! Think about the physicians who work with end-of-life patients (e.g., geriatricians, oncologists, general internists). Are they registered or authorized to prescribe controlled substances? If not, is the institution willing to make such registration a requirement for maintaining hospital staff privileges?
This text is derived from the book Improving Care for the End of Life : A Sourcebook for Health Care Managers and Clinicians.