States are enacting strict limits on the number of powerful prescription painkillers doctors can prescribe, a move that many believe will help fight the opioid crisis but has raised alarms among some physicians.
At least 17 states have enacted rules to curb the number of painkillers doctors can prescribe. Some, including Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Ohio, have passed laws limiting the duration of initial opioid prescriptions to five or seven days. Others are passing dosage limits. In Kentucky, a law went into effect last month capping opioid prescriptions for severe pain to three days.
“We know that most people who eventually become addicted to heroin have started with a prescription opiate,” said Kentucky state Rep. Kimberly Moser (R), who sponsored the bill and is also a nurse. Kentucky, like most other states, has exemptions for cancer and hospice patients, major surgeries and patients dealing with severe or chronic pain. “We felt it was important to just set that pause button and have prescribers just stop and think about the appropriateness of what they’re prescribing. Is it medically necessary?” she said.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member