Source: State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy
The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy continues to receive calls from both prescribers and pharmacists about the new acute prescribing rules that went into effect in August 2017.
In general, the rules limit the prescribing of opioid analgesics for acute pain as follows:
- No more than seven days of opioids can be prescribed for adults.
- No more than five days of opioids can be prescribed for minors and only after the written consent of the parent or guardian is obtained in accordance with ORC 3719.061.
- Health care providers may prescribe opioids in excess of the day supply limits only if they provide a specific reason in the patient’s medical record.
- Except as provided for in the rules, the total morphine equivalent dose (MED) of a prescription for acute pain cannot exceed an average of 30 MED per day.
- The new limits do not apply to opioids prescribed for cancer, palliative care, end-of-life/hospice care or medication-assisted treatment for addiction.
- The rules apply to the first opioid analgesic prescription for the treatment of an episode of acute pain.
- The rules do not apply to inpatient prescriptions.