6.21.2011
Understanding the New Washington State Pain Medication and Opioid Rules
The state of Washington has recently adopted new rules, or “standards of practice,” relating to pain management that apply to all physicians within the state. These new rules are in response to the rising statistics regarding prescription drug abuse involving opioids, the costs of such medications, a belief that the lack of guidance among physicians is contributing to the drug abuse problem in our society, and the belief that there should be a more coherent approach to pain medicine in the non-cancer, non-palliative setting.
This article first appeared in a presentation at the Northwest Pharmacy Convention.