The Dayton administration today announced new guidelines for prescribing opioids to try to control what officials call an epidemic of prescription drug abuse in Minnesota. They direct doctors to prescribe the lowest effective dose for the shortest time, and avoid prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Doctor Rahul Koranne with the Minnesota Hospital Association says, “I commit and the Minnesota Hospital Association commits that our physicians, our emergency departments and our hospitals will adhere to those guidelines, but we need the legislature and the pharmaceutical companies to do their part.”
The Hospital Association supports Governor Mark Dayton in his push for a penny-a-pill tax on drug manufacturers and distributors — but bills have encountered stiff opposition at the Minnesota Legislature.