A bill for non-opioid treatment alternatives was recently introduced by Senator Hise of McDowell County at the North Carolina General Assembly.
The bill would require health care practitioners, as the first line of treatment, to provide patients suffering from acute or chronic pain with a referral to alternative treatment providers, including acupuncturists and massage therapists. Senate Bill 544 was filed on April 2, 2019, and referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations on April 3, 2019.
The bill, if passed, would require insurance companies to provide coverage for non-opioid based pain management without annual or lifetime limits. The bill also contains limits on the number of opioids that can be prescribed by health care providers, and limitations of liability for pharmacists and health care providers who comply with the requirements and restrictions set out in the bill.
The North Carolina Medical Board and Board of Pharmacy, along with several other organizations, will be responsible for offering a “Uniform Voluntary Non-Opioid Directive Form” that will enable patients to elect non-opioid prescriptions and treatments. These forms may be signed and accepted by the patient’s providers, who must then honor the patient’s request, whenever possible, to prescribe less addictive, non-opioid medications.
If it passes, the bill would become effective January 2020. To see a copy of the bill click: https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2019/Bills/Senate/PDF/S544v0.pdf.
If you want to know more about
Non-Opioid Treatment Alternatives
or other alternative therapies, or if you would like to make an appointment, please contact us at (919) 891-9991.
