ICA Proposes Oct. 1 Effective Date on UR Rules for Chronic Pain, Opioids

The Arizona Industrial Commission is proposing to adopt rules that would create a utilization review process to ensure requests to treat chronic pain or use opioids are in accord with evidence-based guidelines. Rules that would go into effect Oct. 1 adopt the voluntary pre-authorization process the commission approved in December 2014 to ensure certain treatment requests comply with recommendations in the chronic pain section of the Official Disability Guidelines, which the commission adopted as its evidence-based standards in March 2014. Doctors would not be required to submit requests for ...