Opioid Task Force Final Report

On December 1, 2015 the Maryland Heroin & Opioid Emergency Task Force released its final report on how to address the growing epidemic of opioid addiction and overdoses in the state.  The task force issued 33 recommendations ranging from prevention and access to treatment to alternatives to incarceration and enhanced law enforcement.  Some proposals would potentially affect psychiatrists directly.  The first is mandatory registration and querying of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program data to help identify people who may be abusing powerful pain medications.  [MedChi has raised the question of whether the PDMP system is ready for that level of use, as well as the concern regarding further burdening practicing physicians.]  Another impact on some psychiatrists is requiring and publishing performance measures on addiction treatment providers.