Bill Creating Clear Guidelines In Dispensing of Opioid Medications to Be Introduced in New Jersey Senate

By National Workers Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) 10/02/2013 12:39:00

Opioid medications have become a major problem in the New Jersey workers’ compensation system.  The number of workers being prescribed opioids has increased dramatically along with other attendant issues, such as addictions to the medications, excessive periods of use, and large numbers of unused opioid pills.  Every workers’ compensation professional can attest to these and other problems with opioid medications, including cases where urine testing shows no trace of opioids in the system despite repeated renewals of prescriptions.

            A draft of a bill to be introduced in the New Jersey Senate proposes that medical expenses shall not include coverage of opioid drugs unless the prescribing doctor does the following:

            1) takes a thorough medical history and physical examination focusing on the cause of the patient’s pain;

            2) does a complete assessment of the potential addiction of the patient to opioids, which would include a baseline urine test and assessment of past and current depression, anxiety disorders and other mood disorders associated with risk of opioid abuse;

            3) provides a written treatment plan with measurable objectives, a list of all medications being taken and dosages, a justification for the continued use of opioid medications, a description of the pain relief from the medications, documentation of attempts at weaning, a description of how the patient responds to the medication, and alternative treatments under consideration;

            4) provides a description of either sustained improvement in function and pain reduction or consultation with a pain management specialist (if the dosage exceeds 120 mg morphine-equivalent dose or if the duration of treatment exceeds 14 days);

            5) provides an explanation to the patient of the risks and benefits of the prescribed medications and expected duration of treatment.

            The Act will allow an employer, carrier or TPA to disqualify any physician from its network who fails to provide such documentation.  If approved, this Bill would be a major step forward for the New Jersey workers’ compensation system.  New Jersey is a member of the National Prescription Drug Monitoring program, which allows physicians to check on an electronic database for prior or current prescriptions for controlled substances before dispensing narcotic pain medication to a patient. 

The PDMP program along with this proposed bill would go a long way to curb the abuse of opioid medications in workers’ compensation, often among patients who have a history of problems with opioids and other controlled substances.  The bill simply establishes a list of best practices that physicians would need to follow in order to prescribe opioids in the workers’ compensation system, as well as in personal injury protection coverage in automobile insurance. It would not prevent the dispensing of medications to those with chronic or short term pain; it would simply require the physician to undergo careful written analysis before making the decision to prescribe opioid drugs.  Many pain management doctors already engage in these practices and require their patients to sign pain management contracts allowing for urine testing.  However, not all physicians who prescribe opioid medications follow these practices, and this Bill is aimed squarely at those physicians.

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