Connecticut lawmakers unanimously passed legislation addressing the state's opioid crisis June 6, according to a WNPR report.
The bill calls for increased oversight for opioid prescriptions and expanded data sharing on abuse and overdose deaths between state agencies. It also requires prescribers to educate patients about the potential risks of opioids and reduces the maximum opioid prescription for minors from seven-day supply to a five-day supply.
Craig Allen, MD, medical director of Meriden, Conn.-based Rushford, applauded the e-prescription mandate. "Historically these substances required hard copies or handwritten prescriptions. But handwritten prescriptions offer more potential for misuse, or people doctoring a prescription, or faking an amount, or faking a name," Dr. Allen told WNPR.
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