Proposed Legislation Would Speed Pain Relief, Ease Regulations

Senator Herb Kohl, the chairman of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging, has proposed legislation that would allow nursing home staff acting on a physician's verbal instructions to order and administer controlled medications to residents in urgent need of pain relief.

The legislation, known as the Nursing Home Resident Pain Relief Act of 2011, would allow nurses and other licensed personnel to act as "facility designees" when ordering and administering controlled painkillers. Currently, physicians must submit prescriptions for controlled painkillers in writing before the medications can be dispensed, which means that residents can go for long periods of time without adequate pain relief.

To learn more, click here.