HARRISBURG—Earlier this week the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved legislation implementing opioid prescribing guidelines. The prime sponsor for the bill is State Senator, Gene Yaw (R-23, Loyalsock Township) and says, “Thirteen people everyday die of a drug overdose, according to the DEA last year we had 60,000 people die of a drug overdose in the United States, and it doesn’t make any sense anymore to say well we are going to do these thing voluntarily we need to really take some strict action.”
Senate Bill 655 makes mandatory the current voluntary guidelines developed by the Task Force on the proper and safe prescribing of opioid-related pain medications says Yaw, “We are taking what is voluntary and saying ok if it is ok voluntary we are going to make it mandatory, you have to do this.”
These guidelines encourage the sensible prescribing of opioid pain medications in nine areas including:
- treating chronic noncancer pain.
- emergency department treatment.
- dental practices.
- opioid dispensing by pharmacists.
- obstetrics and gynecology pain treatment.
- geriatric pain treatment.
- treating pregnant mothers with opioid use disorders.
- safe prescribing benzodiazepines for acute treatment of anxiety and insomnia.
- prescribing in orthopedics and sports medicine.
The guidelines also call for other clinical interventions prior to the initiation of opioids. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
