Governors Association Says it Will Devise Guidelines to Address Opioid Epidemic

The National Governors Associations this weekend announced treatment guidelines are needed to address the nation’s opioid epidemic, according to The New York Times. The group said it will devise protocols aimed at reducing the use of the painkillers.

The guidelines could include limits on prescriptions, or other restrictions, the article notes.

The governors’ effort to address opioids was led by Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont, a Democrat, and Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky, a Republican. The Governors’ Association Health and Human Services Committee approved Governor Shumlin’s proposal to develop guidelines to ensure safer opioid prescribing.

Governor Shumlin noted federal data shows that health care providers wrote more than 250 million prescriptions annually for painkillers—enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills. In a news release, the governors said almost 30,000 Americans die each year from the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids and heroin.

Andrew Dreyfus, President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, spoke to the governors about the company’s policies that require prior authorization for certain opioid prescriptions. The company requires some patients to use a single pharmacy for opioid prescriptions. The policies were described as a possible model for states, the article notes.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, with these and other safety measures, has reduced claims for short-acting opioids such as Percocet and Vicodin by 25 percent. It has cut claims for long-acting opioids such as OxyContin by 50 percent, by switching patients to short-acting pain treatments.

The governors urged physicians who prescribe opioids and other controlled substances to use prescription drug monitoring programs. “These databases—when effectively funded, maintained and integrated into everyday practice—are a powerful tool to identify potential signs of opioid abuse, enhance patient care, improve prescribing practices and signal when a patient may need treatment for a substance use disorder,” the group stated.