Panel May Adopt Opioid Guidelines

An advisory committee to the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Court hopes to adopt new opioid treatment guidelines for treating workers' compensation patients following a public hearing Oct. 12. Several other states, including Washington, have dealt with the issue of opioids recently or are considering doing so. Dr. William R. Gillock, of Tulsa, a member of the Physician Advisory Committee, said the proposed guidelines were written in response to a bill passed in 2005 by the Oklahoma Legislature to require development of evidence-based treatment guidelines. Optional guidelines have been...