Lobbying sinks efforts to impose restrictions on painkillers

Pharmacists and drugstores appear to have undone an effort to impose more strict controls on drug controls. Meanwhile, Accretive Health, the Chicago-based hospital-billing company which is under fire, is fighting back.  

The New York Times: Lobbying Effort Is Said To Sink New Controls On Painkillers
Efforts to impose stricter controls on prescription drugs that are subject to rampant abuse have apparently failed after a groundswell of lobbying by pharmacists and drugstores, members of Congress said on Monday. The proposed controls, sought by senators and law enforcement officials, would apply to products like hydrocodone that are used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain (Pear, 6/18).

The Hill: Embattled Medical Debt Collector Hires Second Lobby Firm
Accretive Health has hired its second D.C. lobby firm after facing scrutiny for allegedly shaking down patients. The Chicago-based hospital billing company will retain The Duberstein Group in addition to its first firm, Heather Podesta + Partners. Accretive has been under fire since late April, when The New York Times covered a report from the Minnesota attorney general's office detailing allegations that the company pressured patients into settling debts, sometimes before they received care (Viebeck, 6/18).