A statewide crackdown on opioid prescribing appears to be working, even before enforcement plans that would penalize doctors who dole out too many addictive painkillers.
New opioid prescriptions have declined 33% since 2016 for Minnesotans who receive health benefits from the state's programs for the poor and disabled, the Minnesota Department of Human Services announced Friday.
And prescriptions at dosages that exceed the new state guidelines have been cut in half.
"Opioids remain an important tool to treat pain, but only when the benefits outweigh the risks," said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead.
Opioid prescribing levels have been lower in Minnesota than other states in the grip of a nationwide overdose epidemic, but the consequences have been severe in this state. Opioid-related overdose deaths surged from 54 in 2000 to 422 in 2017, though they declined to 331 in 2018.
Many of those deaths involved illicit heroin, or fentanyl — a potent opioid that is often abused. But health officials have reported that many addictions started with common painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone prescribed for treatment after surgeries or injuries.
Minnesota created a prescribing work group in response, which set guidelines and dosage levels for opioids. The guidelines cover the acute phase after surgery or an accident; the short-term recovery phase after that; and the long-term chronic phase for patients who continue to suffer pain. Doctors received their first personalized reports earlier this year to compare their prescribing levels with state averages and are receiving updates now.
Doctors with excessive prescribing rates risk being removed from the state's Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare programs — though any such removals are probably a year or two away. The data reported Friday do not include patients covered by private health insurance.