Reacting to concerns about rising opioid use and abuse, Arizona’s governor, Republican Doug Ducey, issued an executive order earlier this month requiring the director of the state’s Medicaid program, as well as the director of the state’s employee health plans, to limit the coverage of opioid prescription to a seven-day supply. There are a few exceptions allowed, such as prescriptions for children with cancer.
Physicians across the state are incensed at the order. They rightly view this as an infringement upon their autonomy, integrity, and judgment as medical professionals, and as interference by an outside party with the doctor-patient relationship. As a surgeon in private practice in Phoenix, I share in that reaction.
In fact, I recently performed an outpatient surgical procedure on a Medicaid patient. When I handed her an opioid prescription in the recovery room for her postoperative pain, I was tempted to tell her to contact the Governor’s office if she is still in pain when she uses it up and needs a refill.
But this new policy is wrong on many other levels beyond the obvious one just mentioned.
