http://www.pilot.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Opioids/Workers%20Compensation%20Guidelines%207-16-18.pdf

In May Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf vetoed a bill that would have created a formulary, instead issuing an executive order to establish opioid prescribing guidelines. The guidelines were unveiled this past Monday.

The guidelines will help providers determine when opioids are an appropriate treatment and are designed to promote functional restoration while still giving patients pain relief. They are to be used in conjunction with other treatment and medical guidelines, not in lieu of other recommended treatments, as per a statement from the governor’s office. The goal is to prevent and reduce complications caused by prescription medication, including addiction.

Critics of this move say the formulary would have been a stronger way to fight the opioid crisis. Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the vetoed bill covered too many drugs and other defenders say it was a government overreach.

Pennsylvania is the third highest in the country in terms of percentage of workers who become long-term opioid users.

Dr. Levine said that these guidelines, “Workers’ Compensation Prescribing Guidelines” join the ten existing sets of guidelines for health care practitioners in the state, all of which are reviewed and updated as more research and evidence come out.

Read the statement from Governor Wolf’s Office and see the new set of guidelines here.