One of my biggest frustrations with the healthcare system is how some providers use prescription refill manipulation as a tactic to keep patients tethered to recurring office visits. You go in for an appointment, they send a prescription to the pharmacy, and suddenly the refill becomes a reason to require another visit every few months—regardless of whether it’s medically necessary.

Even worse is when a provider continues a medication simply because a previous doctor prescribed it, without doing their own due diligence. No lab work. No clinical justification. Just a blind continuation.

In my case, a cardiologist prescribed a very low dose of a statin. I left that provider due to repeated mistakes and switched to another cardiologist. The new one prescribed the exact same medication—again, without reviewing my labs or asking why I was on it in the first place.

Now, I make it clear to any new provider: if you’re going to prescribe a medication, you need a valid, evidence-based reason. “Because the last doctor did” is not good enough. If you can’t justify it with current data or clinical need, then I need to find someone who can.

This isn’t just about personal preference—it’s about responsible medicine. Patients deserve care based on their current health, not a rubber stamp from the past.