Action | Waiver for e-prescribing of an opioid |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 11/13/2020 |
There is an opioid crisis in the United States and I support regulatory actions changing how providers prescribe medications to increase safety and decrease medication fraud. However, after reviewing the adopted legislation and researching the benefits and limitations of this regulatory action, I am curious how it will impact the providers that will receive a waiver? After one year (and a provider's circumstances have not changed), will providers who received waivers have extensions? Is there state funding to support the transition or is this an unfunded mandate? If extensions for waivers are not provided, this can limit opioid prescriptions and decrease the risk for greater access to opioids altogether. In Virginia and at the local level, we need to protect our residents and better manage controlled substances to limit exposure to opioids and other addictive substances.