12/11/2011, New state law leaves patients in pain (Washington)

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2016994769_silent12.html

The growing legion of untreated pain patients has become so troublesome that some clinics, like one in Everett, post signs that ward off walk-ins: “We do not treat pain patients.”

Washington has at least 1.5 million people who struggle with chronic or acute pain, the American Academy of Pain Management estimates. The state has thousands of practitioners with prescribing privileges. But as of last month, the state’s sanctioned list of pain specialists numbered just 13.