Physician Associations Caution Against Prescribing Rules

The OOA and six other physician organizations sent a joint letter to the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team (GCOAT), August 9, strongly encouraging the Administration “to proceed very cautiously with any additional regulatory solutions imposing opioid prescribing restrictions until the impact of current accomplishments can be evaluated and an aggressive professional and public educational program is in place.” 

The associations also encouraged the GCOAT Reforming Prescribing Practices Committee to “continue to focus on consensus-driven solutions that do not negatively impact access to care for chronic pain patients” and cited reports from patients and providers “that some actions have already had a negative impact on access and are being exacerbated by a shortage of pain treatment facilities and pain specialists.”

The group further expressed support for  “press pause/reassessment trigger threshold” prescribing guidelines now being drafted, but urged that they be adopted as an Ohio State Medical Board position statement that does not have the impact of a law. 

The letter goes on to state: “We do not believe there is sufficient published data and evidence-based research to support a mandatory rule at this time… Adoption of a rule could result in an ineffective use of health care resources where clinicians are performing costly tests and providing services merely to comply with the rules. A rule would also shift focus from worst offenders to a scrutiny of all prescribers who do not have a pattern of practice below acceptable standards of care.” To read the entire letter, click here: GCOAT.

Other associations signing the letter included the Ohio State Medical Association, Ohio Chapter, American College of Emergency Medicine, Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists, and Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association