Minnesota doctors face opioid prescribing limits
Published 9:59 am Sunday, November 19, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota task force has set new limits on opioid prescriptions by doctors who participate in the state’s Medicaid program.
The rule was adopted by the state’s Opioid Prescribing Work Group on Thursday but won’t take effect until they’re approved by the state human services commissioner, the Star Tribune reported .
Nonsurgical physicians and dentists can have no more than half of their opioid prescriptions exceed 100 morphine milligram equivalents, which is equivalent to about 20 Vicodin or Percocet pills at the typical 5 milligram strength. Surgeons will have a limit of 200 morphine milligram equivalents per outpatient prescription.
Studies show that many patients can recover from acute pain from surgeries or injuries with small initial doses of opioids, said Dr. Chris Johnson, an Allina Health physician who heads the task force.
“You … don’t need near as much as you think you do,” he said.
Doctors who exceed the new limits for more than half of their patients will receive warnings and undergo training. They could eventually face removal from the Medicaid program if they don’t reduce their dosage amounts.