Commission Formulary Limits First Rx to 5 Days

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | 0

The state's Workers' Compensation Commission has become the latest in the country to adopt a drug formulary in a growing effort to stem the U.S. opioid epidemic.

The formulary will take effect July 1 and will apply to new injuries after that date, the commission announced this week. It is similar to restrictions recently adopted or under consideration in several other states, and limits initial opioid prescriptions to a five-day supply, and no more than 50 milligram morphine equivalent dosage (MED) without prior authorization.

Subsequent prescriptions are limited to no more than 90 days without authorization and periodic urine testing.

Insurers must have a pharmacist and physician on staff or must contract with a pharmacy benefits manager that does, and prescribers must check the prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing opioids or the sedative benzodiazepine. Compounded medications must be pre-authorized by the insurer.

The commission began the formulary process in early 2017, holding public hearings and receiving comments on the proposed rules, which were developed by the University of Arkansas for Medical Science and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Training on meeting the rules of the formulary will be available on Thursday. Additional training will be conducted April 19, May 15 and June 14, the commission said. More information can be obtained through email here.