BWC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines Clear Final Hurdle

New opioid-prescribing rules cleared an Ohio legislative hurdle Monday and will be finalized Sept. 19, despite a national pain management organization’s concerns that the regulations go too far. The rules proposed by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation will punish doctors who fail to use best practices and will block reimbursement for prescriptions that don't meet guidelines. They are aimed at curbing the state’s opioids epidemic and will be effective Oct. 1 for claims with injury dates on or after Sept. 1, and for all claims on or after Jan. 1, 2017. The chan...