Dr. Christopher O. Harper, M.D.-Warrior Medical Associates, P.C. Terrible Medical Doctor, Lousy Medical Doctor Warrior Alabama

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 Let me just say that I'm sorry that I communicated with you in such a way that you felt like I was rude. As a Christian who's dedicated his life to caring for the sick for a living and even done many medical missions abroad, I try to do my best by everyone. I've treated countles people who've no way to pay me. I can tell you with out a doubt that I have no desire to anger or offend anyone.

However, doctors in this day and age are confronted with a huge dialemma. We are given statistical information about drug abuse and drug abuse related deaths. Statistical data shows that many patients simply are not honest with their physicians. Prescription drug deaths are the leading cause of death in our Nation, including causing more deaths than auto accidents. Alabama has the second highest rate of prescription opiod drug abuse in the Nation. As a matter of fact, I received a report today from a pharmacist that a patient of mine was turing in prescriptions illegally, using my name and prescription numbers. 

In the past, I didn't have to do any drug screens, but because of these facts, we've had to implement regular drug screening. I'm sorry that your insurance doesn't cover such testing in full, as regular drug screens are now considered standard of care, as recommended by the Drug Enforcement Agency and every medical society.

Interestingly, since we've started doing regular urine drug screens, we've discovered many patients that we've trusted for years were actually abusing drugs by either not taking their medications (which implies that they are selling them on the street) or taking controlled medications from multiple other doctors. Unfortunately, we've had to dismiss many formerly trusted patients for these findings. This experience means that we are now much more likely to do drug screens at each visit or at least every other visit, on patients taking controlled drugs. Sometimes we do slip up and miss doing a urine drug screen, but we are trying to close that loop and do them at every visit or so.

I'm sorry if I didn't do a good job of conveying that reasoning to you. We don't enjoy doing the drug screens, believe me. It makes treating patients on controlled drugs far more complicated than it used to be. Doing drug screens takes up significant physician and staff time and it's embarrasing for us to even ask for such screening, because, like you, most people who are law abiding people are going to be offended by them. We feel badly because we know that many of our patients who need their pain medication are innocent, but they must suffer through the indignaty of urine drug screens as a result of others who abuse these drugs. 

Sadly, prescription drug abuse is now a huge problem in society. Self reporting studies show that 52 million Americans have taken prescription drugs for non-medical use, which is the definition of abuse. The CDC has labled prescription drug abuse a huge public problem and have put the burdon of stoping it squarely on physicians shoulders.

According to the CDC: 

Deaths from drug overdose have been rising steadily over the past two decades and have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States.1  Every day in the United States, 114 people die as a result of drug overdose1, and another 6,748 are treated in emergency departments (ED) for the misuse or abuse of drugs.2Nearly 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs.3

The Problem

• Drug overdose was the leading cause of injury death in 2012. Among people 25 to 64 years old, drug overdose caused more deaths than motor vehicle traffic crashes.1
• Drug overdose death rates have been rising steadily since 1992 with a 117% increase from 1999 to 2012 alone.1
• In 2012, 33,175 (79.9%) of the 41,502 drug overdose deaths in the United States were unintentional, 5,465 (13.2%) were of suicidal intent, 80 (0.2%) were homicides, and 2,782 (6.7%) were of undetermined intent.1
• In 2011, drug misuse and abuse caused about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits. Of these, more than 1.4 million ED visits were related to pharmaceuticals.2
• Between 2004 and 2005, an estimated 71,000 children (18 or younger) were seen in EDs each year because of medication overdose (excluding self-harm, abuse and recreational drug use).4
• Among children under age 6, pharmaceuticals account for about 40% of all exposures reported to poison centers.5

Most Common Drugs Involved in Overdoses

• In 2012, of the 41,502 drug overdose deaths in the United States, 22,114 (53%) were related to pharmaceuticals.6
• Of the 22,114 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2012, 16,007 (72%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,524 (30%) involved benzodiazepines.6 (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)
• In 2011, about 1.4 million ED visits involved the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Among those ED visits, 501,207 visits were related to anti-anxiety and insomnia medications, and 420,040 visits were related to opioid analgesics.2
• Benzodiazepines are frequently found among people treated in EDs for misusing or abusing drugs.2  People who died of drug overdoses often had a combination of benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics in their bodies.6

As a conscientiuos physician, it is part of my job to try and prevent these deaths and we'll continue doing regular drug screening on all of our patients who are on controlled substances. 

Again, I'm sorry that you felt that I was rude and costing you needless expenses. I hope you can see why we have to do these screenings. 

Sincerely, 

Christopher Harper, MD

P.S. I hate Ripoff Report because anyone can use it to attack any business or person they wish without any kind of accountability. It is basically a legal way for cowardly people to commit fraud against others. Sites like RipoffReport.com should be held accountable for what they publish. They should be required to at least collect information about the person writing such grievances so that if a case of libel has been committed, business owners and individuals have legal recourse to go after the attack and have it removed without paying to have their name cleared, or suffer being legally named as part of the libel suits that result.

My wife and I have both been subjected to such attacks over the years and I can say that each time, we were left scarred by the experience.

Unfortunately, most people will read the attacks and not take the time to read a rebuttal such as this one. 

As for my wife and me, we will continue doing the best we can to treat everyone fairly and honestly. May God bless you all. 

My entire family has been patients of Dr. Chris Harper for years. We have NEVER had a problem with misdiagnosis, billing, or anything else. In fact, he's the best physician we have ever used. His office staff is superior and very easy to work with.

I can not imagine the scenario painted by the original poster, but I do not believe for a minute that Dr. Harper told a patient "There's nothing I can do" for a symptom as simple as heartburn. Further, he does NOT charge $300 for an office visit - they charge me $40, of which I pay the $10 co-pay. The complainer does not provide ANY detail about what testing was done or what instructions the doctor provided. However, if there even WAS a $300 charge for this person, I guarantee there were services performed over and above a simple office visit.

My guess is that Dr. Harper told this person something they didn't want to hear, like "Your morbid obesity is causing your acid reflux and you need to lose weight before you die of a massive stroke." I'm sure that's disappointing when the patient expects the doctor to dutifully write out another prescription.

Speaking of "heartburn," I get it when someone lies on a public forum to "get back" at someone who didn't give them their way.