States increase restrictions on painkiller prescribing

Several states have introduced legislation to restrict painkiller prescribing in an effort to combat the growing opioid drug epidemic that resulted in nearly 30,000 deaths nationwide in 2014.

Last week, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill that would prohibit physicians from prescribing greater than a seven-day supply of painkillers after surgery or injury. Vermont and Maine are considering similar measures.

There are approximately 375 proposals to limit painkiller prescribing and regulate pain clinics currently pending in state legislatures, many based on a Blue Cross Blue Shield model that restricts initial painkiller prescriptions to a 15-day supply and prohibits prescribing more than 30 days’ worth over a two-month period. Claims data show the model, implemented in Massachusetts in 2012, reflects an 18% and a 50% decline in prescriptions for long-acting opioids.

Recently the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance urging primary care physicians to treat chronic pain with opioids only as a last resort.