The Doctor Patient Forum

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Jun 2026

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The Doctor Patient Forum is a national advocacy organization defending pain patients and the prescribers who treat them. We expose the truth about opioid policy, forced tapers, and patient abandonment. We expose the opioid elimination movement, and those at the center of it. Join Bev Schechtman and Claudia Merandi as we break down FDA moves, prescription surveillance systems like NarxCare, and the politics of addiction medicine. Because pain relief shouldn’t be a crime.

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September 10, 2026Episode 621 hr 17 min

PROP Says Pain Patients Are Addicted. The FDA Data Tell a Different Story.

Find us on Patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum What happens when federally mandated opioid safety studies finally produce data that don’t fit the narrative we’ve been hearing for more than a decade?In this video, we break down the FDA’s May 5, 2025 opioid meeting, the Postmarketing Requirement studies that led to it, PROP’s influence over the conversation, and the fight over how chronic pain patients are diagnosed with opioid use disorder.At the center of this story is a staggering discrepancy: using raw DSM-5 criteria, 22.5% of patients in one of the FDA-mandated studies were classified as meeting criteria for OUD. But when researchers used a pain-adjusted diagnostic tool designed to distinguish addiction from behaviors explained by chronic pain and legitimate opioid therapy, that number dropped dramatically.Why was the pain-adjusted methodology attacked? Why were so many of the people speaking before the FDA affiliated with PROP or closely aligned with its policy positions? Why were paid opioid-litigation expert witnesses helping shape the discussion? And why has there been such a sustained effort to characterize patients taking prescription opioids exactly as directed as having opioid use disorder?We go back to the beginning: PROP’s 2012 FDA citizen petition, the 2013 FDA hearings, the 11 opioid Postmarketing Requirements ordered by the FDA, the development of pain-adjusted OUD measures, the May 2025 advisory committee meeting, the litigation relationships of prominent opioid-policy advocates, and the decades-long effort to move chronic pain patients away from full-agonist opioids.We also examine the history of buprenorphine/Suboxone, the push to expand treatment for OUD, and why redefining stable pain patients as having an addiction diagnosis has enormous consequences for medical care, insurance coverage, policy, and patient autonomy.This video was originally recorded in May 2025 as a Patreon-exclusive presentation. This public version was updated in 2026 with additional screenshots, court documents, source material, and supporting evidence uncovered after the original recording.The Doctor Patient Forum believes pain patients deserve more than slogans, cherry-picked statistics, and predetermined conclusions. If policymakers use science to justify taking treatment away, then they also have an obligation to measure what happens to the patients who lose that treatment.We are going to keep asking the questions.Support our work and access our Patreon-exclusive investigations, presentations, and member content: / thedoctorpatientforum Learn more about The Doctor Patient Forum: https://thedoctorpatientforum.com/ Please like, subscribe, share, and leave a comment. Getting this information outside of the chronic pain community matters. *FAIR USE NOTICE* This video contains excerpts from publicly available hearings, presentations, news reports, court proceedings, documents, publications, screenshots, and other materials for purposes of commentary, criticism, education, research, news reporting, and public-interest discussion.Such use is intended to constitute fair use under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. Copyrighted materials remain the property of their respective owners. The Doctor Patient Forum does not claim ownership of third-party footage, images, documents, or other copyrighted material used in this presentation. #PainPatients #ChronicPain #FDA #Opioids #PROP #OpioidPolicy #OpioidUseDisorder #OUD #PatientAdvocacy #TheDoctorPatientForum How this was made

June 2, 2026Episode 621 hr 23 min

Pain Patients Were Right: The “It’s All in Your Head” Narrative Is Falling Apart

This episode was originally released as an exclusive Patreon video, but in the current climate, we believe it is too important to keep behind a paywall. Pain patients are increasingly being told their pain is “centralized,” “neuroplastic,” “psychological,” or simply “in the brain.” But what does that actually mean? And if a clinician claims someone’s physical pain is psychological, what diagnostic criteria are they using? In this conversation, Bev and Brandy speak with Asaf Weisman, a physiotherapist, researcher, PhD candidate, and lab manager at the Tel Aviv University Spinal Research Lab, about nociception, chronic pain, imaging, immune-system involvement, pain reprocessing claims, phantom limb pain, and the growing problem of dismissing patients when standard testing does not show a clear structural cause. Asaf explains why the absence of visible tissue damage on standard imaging does not prove the absence of a biological process, why pain cannot simply be labeled “psychological” without clear criteria, and why patients deserve better than gaslighting, abandonment, and one-size-fits-all narratives. Originally shared with our Patreon community. Released publicly because pain patients need to hear this. The Doctor Patient Forum: https://www.thedoctorpatientforum.com/ Support our work on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum Disclaimer: This episode is for education, commentary, and advocacy purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult your own medical professional for care decisions.

February 21, 2026Episode 611 hr 46 min

How Litigation Wins Become Pt Losses - When Grief Becomes a Weapon and Patients Become Collateral

After years of hearing the same opioid presentation from Andrew Kolodny, something changed — kratom suddenly became the “next crisis.”That wasn’t random.In this video, I break down:• How mass-tort litigation narratives are built• How experts, media, and parent groups align• How settlement money shapes policy messaging• Why kratom is being framed like opioids were• And who gets harmed when the machine movesWe’ve seen this before.First tobacco.Then prescription opioids.Then JUUL.Now cannabis and kratom.When lawsuits start shaping medicine, patients become collateral damage.Pain patients were erased the first time.Will it happen again?At The Doctor Patient Forum, we document the harm — because when history asks who knew, there will be a record.💜 We see you. We are fighting with you.—🌐 Website: https://www.thedoctorpatientforum.com/ 📌 Patreon: patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum #PublicHealth #MassTort #medicalethics Fair Use DisclaimerThis video contains excerpts of copyrighted material used for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.All clips, images, and audio are used under the “fair use” provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. The material is transformed through commentary, analysis, and fact-checking. The use is non-substitutive and does not replace the original works.

February 1, 2026Episode 6034 min

ACEs & the Opioid Risk Tool Explained | How Trauma History Is Used to Flag Patients and Deny Pain Care

This episode breaks down ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) — what these tools were actually designed for, and how they’re often misapplied in pain care to flag patients as “high risk” and deny treatment. We walk through: • what ACEs really measure • how the Opioid Risk Tool was created • where the sexual trauma question came from • why these tools were never meant to be used to deny care • and how trauma history screening is being used against pain patients in practice The misapplication of these tools is what pushed me to become an advocate in the first place, and we’ve spent years documenting and raising awareness about this issue. This recording was originally shared privately with our Patreon community in 2024. I’ve now made it public so anyone can hear the full explanation directly, with the research and context included. If I reference documents or screenshots during this episode, you can find the full video version on our YouTube channel. — 🌐 Website: https://www.thedoctorpatientforum.com/ 📌 Support our work on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum Patreon support helps fund: • patient advocacy • policy research • FOIAs and petitions • educational content • and direct support for patients navigating care — Fair Use Notice: This episode may include brief quotations, clips, or references to third-party materials for purposes of commentary, criticism, education, and public interest reporting. Such use is made under the Fair Use provisions of Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.

January 10, 2026Episode 5930 min

The Dismantling of Pain Care by Addiction Medicine, And the Patients Sacrificed. A Decade of Harm.

This episode documents how pain care in the United States was dismantled, not accidentally, but through deliberate policy choices that elevated addiction medicine over pain treatment and left millions of patients behind. Bev Schechtman , Vice President of The Doctor Patient Forum (DPF) , walks through the history of opioid policy, the rise of addiction medicine’s influence over pain care, and the real-world consequences for patients and doctors. This includes how clinical judgment has been replaced by fear, risk profiling, and enforcement-driven medicine. The discussion covers: How the opioid crisis narrative reshaped pain care How CDC prescribing guidelines moved from recommendations to de facto law How litigation, settlements, and funding structures reinforced opioid elimination How algorithms, risk scores, and liability concerns now override patient care And why patient harm has never been measured The episode also includes a first-person account of being denied pain care in the emergency room despite documented kidney stones, not based on medical findings, but on trauma history and perceived risk. 🎧 Source & Context This episode is drawn from a live X Space hosted by Dr. Liza Lockwood , featuring patients, physicians, and advocates discussing the realities of pain care under current policy. Watch full X-Space discussion: https://x.com/DrLizaMD/status/2009384856409506119?s=20 💜 Support our work & access deeper discussions: https://patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum 📌 Share your story: https://thedoctorpatientforum.com/submit-your-story/ At The Doctor Patient Forum, we preserve patient stories because harm was never measured, and history is being erased in real time.

September 18, 2025Episode 581 hr 33 min

Why Pain Patients Became the Villains of the Opioid Crisis - Episode 58

Why are pain patients treated like criminals, while people on Suboxone are celebrated as brave survivors?This isn’t just stigma, it’s a system. One that quietly rewrote the rules of who deserves compassion... and who gets discarded.In this video, we introduce a lens called Critical Drug Theory, based on Critical Theory, which helps explain how power, identity, and moral narratives shape public policy. It’s a way to understand why people with addiction are often seen as victims in need of care, while stable pain patients are labeled as privileged or problematic, even when both need medication.We break down how these narratives gained power, how they’ve influenced opioid policy, and why the system was rigged to treat pain relief as dangerous, but daily addiction treatment as virtuous.This video gives language to something many patients have felt but couldn’t name. It’s not political, and it’s not a conspiracy. It’s just the truth about how we got here and who got hurt along the way.🎥 Originally released as a Patreon exclusive, now public so more people can see what’s really going on.👇 Join our community & support the work: https://www.patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum 📌 Visit our website:https://www.thedoctorpatientforum.com/📢 Help spread the truth. Like, share, and subscribe.⚖️ Fair Use Disclaimer:This video may contain copyrighted material used for the purposes of education, commentary, and criticism under Section 107 of the Copyright Act. All rights belong to their respective owners.The information contained in this podcast should not be considered medical or legal advice.

August 26, 2025Episode 571 hr 22 min

20+ Yrs Fighting Opioid Myths, Dr. Chad Kollas on the FDA’s Latest Move

Dr. Chad Kollas has spent more than two decades challenging myths and misinformation about opioids in pain care. In this episode, he joins us to break down the FDA’s latest opioid label changes, explain why they matter for patients, and share his perspective as a palliative care physician who has been on the frontlines of this debate since the early 2000s. We talk about: The significance of the FDA's new opioid label The ethical failures of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in pain patients How propaganda has shaped the narrative around opioids What patients and providers need to know moving forward If you’ve ever wondered how we got here and what hope there is for change you won’t want to miss this conversation. Dr. Chad Kollas' study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10790545/ 🎧 Listen now and share to help us keep exposing the system and supporting the people in it. Find us on Patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum The information in this podcast is not to be considered medical or legal advice

April 22, 2025Episode 561 hr 32 min

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

🎙️ Episode 56 Scored. Flagged. Medically Abandoned. Forgotten. Unveiling NarxCare: The Hidden Scoring System in Your Medical Records This is a rerelease of a 2022 podcast episode featuring attorney Jennifer D. Oliva . In this powerful conversation, Bev Schechtman and Claudia Merandi of The Doctor Patient Forum sit down with Professor Oliva to expose the implications of NarxCare and Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) on patient care — particularly for those living with chronic pain . They explore the secretive nature of risk-scoring algorithms , the lack of transparency in PDMP data, and the systemic discrimination embedded in these tools — especially for marginalized and disabled populations. Together, they make the case for regulatory oversight , algorithmic accountability , and why advocacy is essential to protect patient rights and restore ethical care. NarxCare is a secret risk-scoring algorithm embedded in electronic health records. Most patients cannot access or correct their PDMP data. These scores disproportionately flag patients with complex conditions as “high risk.” Errors in PDMP data can result in abrupt care abandonment and harm. Providers face pressure to under-prescribe due to fear of red flags. The opioid crisis has redefined pain care around liability, not compassion. There is little to no regulatory oversight of NarxCare or PDMP systems. Legislative action and public advocacy are urgently needed to protect patient safety and autonomy. Professor Oliva’s research and teaching interests include health law and policy, privacy law, evidence, torts, and complex litigation . She has served as a peer reviewer for the American Journal of Public Health , Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics , American Journal of Law & Medicine , Journal of Law and the Biosciences , and Big Data & Society . Her scholarship has been published by or is forthcoming in the Virginia Law Review , California Law Review , Duke Law Journal , Northwestern University Law Review , UCLA Law Review , North Carolina Law Review , Ohio State Law Journal , and online companions to the University of Chicago Law Review and New York University Law Review . She lives in Bloomington, Indiana . The Doctor Patient Forum has joined advocates nationwide in filing a citizen petition demanding that the FDA regulate NarxCare and all clinical algorithm software that scores patients. 🛑 This affects patients with pain, addiction, and complex conditions. 🗣️ Your voice matters. Help us hold the system accountable. 👉 Submit your public comment today: 🔗 https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2025-P-0701-0001 📅 Deadline to comment: May 10, 2025 Clips taken from: NPR 1A – “Against the Pain: The Opioid Crisis and Medication Access” https://the1a.org/segments/against-the-pain-the-opioid-crisis-and-medication-access/ Cato Institute – “Patients, Privacy, and PDMPs” (Dr. Jeffrey Singer & Kate Nicholson) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXVXShMASJ4&t=4357s Duke Margolis – “Strategies for Promoting the Safe Use of Prescription Opioids” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFUkAi8Coyw NPR – “To End Addiction Epidemic” (Kolodny quote) https://www.npr.org/2014/05/09/311119395/to-end-addiction-epidemic-states-focus-on-stopping-doctor-shoppers Cover 2 Resources – Gary Mendell (Podcast) https://open.spotify.com/episode/33OosEC2hutlE9y6Cogmne Jennifer Oliva’s Paper – “Dosing Discrimination: Regulating PDMP Risk Scores” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3768774

January 28, 2025Episode 551 hr 47 min

Prescription for Disaster: The Untold Truth of CDC’s Opioid Guidelines and their Fatal Impact: A CDC Physician's Person Account

In this conversation, Claudia, Bev, and Dr. Charles LeBaron discuss his experience with a severe painful illness. After he struggled accessing opioids, he started investigating CDC's opioid guidelines and their tragic result. LeBaron Bio For more than twenty-eight years, Charles LeBaron worked as a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While there, he was the author of more than fifty scientific studies published in peer-reviewed journals, including first- or senior-author papers in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. He was co-recipient of CDC’s Charles C. Shepard Science Award for best scientific manuscript published by CDC authors. A Captain in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, he received the Meritorious Service Medal, as well as more than ten other individual and unit commendation awards. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Medical School, he is board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics, as well as the author of a previous non-fiction account of the first year of medical school. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. 1) Amazon page where the book can be purchased (2) Kirkus Review (3) BlueInk Review Find DPF at thedoctorpatientforum.com patreon.com/thedoctorpatientforum info@dpfconsultants.net

October 29, 2024Episode 541 hr 19 min

"It Is a Privilege To Treat a Patient" with Dr. David Alfery - Episode 54

Dr. David Alfery's Bio Dr. David Alfery was raised in the North but moved to Louisiana to attend Tulane University where he graduated with a BA degree in English. He then attended LSU Medical School in New Orleans. After graduating, he took the Louisiana State Medical Licensing Exam where he received the highest grade out of approximately 400 new doctors from the three medical schools in the state. He spent a year as a surgical intern at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky and then did his residency in anesthesia at the University of California in San Diego. He stayed on there for an additional year of fellowship training in cardiothoracic anesthesia. In 1980 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he spent a thirty-six-year career in private practice. He has served as a Chief of Anesthesia, President of the Tennessee State Society of Anesthesiologists, and was a founding member of Anesthesia Medical Group, one of the largest anesthesia practices in the United States. For twenty years he served as an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology, ending his tenure as a Senior Examiner. While in practice, he held an academic appointment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as Adjunct Associate Professor of Anesthesiology. In addition, he participated in numerous medical missions with Operation Smile. Following his retirement from work in the Operating Room, he co-founded the AMG Ketamine and Wellness Center in Nashville. Dr. Alfery has authored ten chapters in medical textbooks and 41 peer reviewed articles in anesthesia medical journals. He has invented several anesthesia devices that are sold worldwide and for which he has been awarded 17 US and International patents. He has been married to his medical school sweetheart, Joyce, for over forty-five years, and together they have produced three daughters and five grandchildren. Find Dr. Alfery at https://savinggracebook.com or on TikTok at @drdavidalfery The information in this podcast is not to be considered medical of legal advice.