A contract is an agreement stipulating the rights and obligations of the signatories. In most cases, a contract is consulted when a dispute arises. When all is proceeding swimmingly, the contract remains dormant in a file drawer or in a digital file. In general, decent people resolve differences in the old-fashioned way utilizing the twin arcane legal techniques of reasonableness and compromise. Remember them? Yes, it is possible to settle disputes without consulting an attorney.
I learned recently about the existence of opioid contracts (OCs), an “agreement” between a patient and a physician regarding the use of opioids. I have read through various OC templates and, although I have no law degree, they seem extremely lopsided in that one party seems coerced to accept numerous stipulations while the other — the doctor — serves as the enforcer. Although many of these agreements require both the patient and the physician to sign and date the forms, there really are no requirements of the doctor, except to provide the prescription. The agreements basically catalog a very long list of required behaviors that patients must agree to and be prepared to document. Here’s a sampling.
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