Under newly proposed legislation, doctors will have their prescription-powers severely reined in. The proposal (HB 21) would impose a limit on doctors seeking to prescribe highly-addictive pain medication beyond three days’ worth. It states that physicians may only give out seven-day amounts if that is “medically necessary”. Such a drug affected by the legislation includes oxycodone.
House Commerce Chairman Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, is the sponsor for the 114-page bill. It contains, in large part, numerous policy items put forward by Gov. Rick Scott in an effort to address Florida’s opioid epidemic.
The Governor’s office issued a press release on Friday morning which announced the bill’s filing. The attention it has received along with major collaboration coming from Scott’s office denote that this will be a major legislative priority come session in January.
In order to comply with the policy, doctors must document a patient’s “acute medical condition and lack of alternative treatment options.”
So far, critics have mostly come from physicians who object that this will make a dent in addiction rates. Aaron Wohl, a doctor from Lee County, testified before the Senate Health Policy Committee this week, saying:
