Opioid Prescribing Rules

This 2 page document provides a brief overview of the development of opioid prescribing guidelines in Washington state. In 2017, the legislature directed the state’s 5 health care prescribing boards and commissions (medical, dental, nursing, osteopathic, and podiatric) to adopt opioid prescribing guidelines. This document summarizes the guideline development process and compares the 5 guidelines recommendations to an initial task force recommendations regarding requirements to check the prescription monitoring system and limits on the number of days opioid can be prescribed without additional clinical documentation.