Scored. Flagged. Medically Abandoned. Forgotten. Unveiling NarxCare: The Hidden Scoring System in Your Medical Records

<p>🎙️ Episode 56</p><p><strong>Scored. Flagged. Medically Abandoned. Forgotten.</strong><br /><strong>Unveiling NarxCare: The Hidden Scoring System in Your Medical Records</strong></p><p>This is a <strong>rerelease of a 2022 podcast episode</strong> featuring attorney <strong>Jennifer D. Oliva</strong>.</p><p>In this powerful conversation, <strong>Bev Schechtman</strong> and <strong>Claudia Merandi</strong> of The Doctor Patient Forum sit down with Professor Oliva to expose the implications of <strong>NarxCare</strong> and <strong>Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)</strong> on patient care — particularly for those living with <strong>chronic pain</strong>.</p><p>They explore the <strong>secretive nature of risk-scoring algorithms</strong>, the <strong>lack of transparency</strong> in PDMP data, and the <strong>systemic discrimination</strong> embedded in these tools — especially for marginalized and disabled populations. Together, they make the case for <strong>regulatory oversight</strong>, <strong>algorithmic accountability</strong>, and why <strong>advocacy is essential</strong> to protect patient rights and restore ethical care.</p><ul><li><p>NarxCare is a secret risk-scoring algorithm embedded in electronic health records.</p></li><li><p>Most patients cannot access or correct their PDMP data.</p></li><li><p>These scores disproportionately flag patients with complex conditions as “high risk.”</p></li><li><p>Errors in PDMP data can result in abrupt care abandonment and harm.</p></li><li><p>Providers face pressure to under-prescribe due to fear of red flags.</p></li><li><p>The opioid crisis has redefined pain care around liability, not compassion.</p></li><li><p>There is little to no regulatory oversight of NarxCare or PDMP systems.</p></li><li><p>Legislative action and public advocacy are urgently needed to protect patient safety and autonomy.</p></li></ul><p>Professor Oliva’s research and teaching interests include <strong>health law and policy, privacy law, evidence, torts, and complex litigation</strong>. She has served as a peer reviewer for the <em>American Journal of Public Health</em>, <em>Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics</em>, <em>American Journal of Law &amp; Medicine</em>, <em>Journal of Law and the Biosciences</em>, and <em>Big Data &amp; Society</em>.</p><p>Her scholarship has been published by or is forthcoming in the <em>Virginia Law Review</em>, <em>California Law Review</em>, <em>Duke Law Journal</em>, <em>Northwestern University Law Review</em>, <em>UCLA Law Review</em>, <em>North Carolina Law Review</em>, <em>Ohio State Law Journal</em>, and online companions to the <em>University of Chicago Law Review</em> and <em>New York University Law Review</em>.</p><p>She lives in <strong>Bloomington, Indiana</strong>.</p><p>The Doctor Patient Forum has joined advocates nationwide in filing a <strong>citizen petition</strong> demanding that the <strong>FDA regulate NarxCare</strong> and all clinical algorithm software that scores patients.</p><p>🛑 This affects patients with pain, addiction, and complex conditions.<br />🗣️ <strong>Your voice matters.</strong> Help us hold the system accountable.</p><p>👉 <strong>Submit your public comment today:</strong><br />🔗 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2025-P-0701-0001" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2025-P-0701-0001</a><br />📅 <strong>Deadline to comment: May 10, 2025</strong></p><p><strong>Clips taken from:</strong></p><ol><li><p><strong>NPR 1A – “Against the Pain: The Opioid Crisis and Medication Access”</strong><br /><a href="https://the1a.org/segments/against-the-pain-the-opioid-crisis-and-medication-access/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://the1a.org/segments/against-the-pain-the-opioid-crisis-and-medication-access/</a></p></li><li><p><strong>Cato Institute – “Patients, Privacy, and PDMPs”</strong> (Dr. Jeffrey Singer &amp; Kate Nicholson)<br /><a h