Arizona law intended to limit opioid prescriptions may hurt chronic pain patients

Amy Baxter | | Health Exec | Policy & Regulations

States are desperate to act in response to the national opioid epidemic, but laws limiting opioid prescriptions and doses are negatively impacting chronic pain patients and leaving doctors conflicted about care delivery, NPR reported.

More than two dozen states have implemented laws aimed at curbing the opioid addiction crisis, including Arizona, which recently passed the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act in a unanimous vote. The new state law has made the reduction of opioids “fast and furious,” NPR reported.

Patients With Chronic Pain Feel Caught In An Opioid Prescribing Debate

“Since the passage of the law, some doctors in Arizona report feeling pressure to lower patient doses, even for patients who have been on stable regimens of opioids for years without trouble,” according to NPR.

Read the full story here.

Amy Baxter
Amy Baxter

Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."

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