Bass, Berry & Sims attorney Anna Grizzle provided insight for an article outlining the compliance risk for doctors when prescribing opioids to patients. The state and federal programs have been implemented to limit opioid prescriptions in order to curb substance abuse have placed additional compliance and administrative burdens on doctors. As Anna says in the article, “The physician groups are concerned these state proposals, while well intentioned, interfere with the physician-patient relationship and don’t actually address the problem.”
In order to stay compliance, Anna recommends “One of the best ways to stay current on evolving opioid prescription requirements is through local and state medical associations. These associations are monitoring prescribing changes and are providing feedback to legislators on the impact of the changes on physicians.”
The full article, “Doctors Feel the Pinch of Anti-Opioid Efforts,” was published in the Bloomberg BNA Health Law Resource Center on February 9, 2018, and is available online.