MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A new report by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont states there has been a significant drop in the number of prescriptions being written for opioid pain medication in the state.
Blue Cross officials say new prescribing policies are a major factor in the decline, with the policies having gone into effect last July. Vermont Public Radio reports the guidelines limit how many pills may be prescribed at any one time and they encourage physicians to seek other pain management strategies whenever possible.
Currently, physicians are limited to prescribing an adult no more than seven pills at one time.
Don George, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield, says the policy has resulted in a 20 percent decline in the number of opioid prescriptions written in the last six months.
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Information from: WVPS-FM, http://www.vpr.net
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