Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment, and Prevention Endorses Prescribing Guidelines for Acute Pain

Indianapolis – Today, the Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment, and Prevention endorsed a set of opioid and controlled substance prescribing guidelines for emergency departments as part of a larger strategy to combat prescription drug abuse in Indiana. This endorsement is a result of a prior recommendation of the Task Force and action taken by Governor Mike Pence, who directed the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to work with stakeholders to create guidelines for acute pain prescribing.

“Our Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment, and Prevention today takes yet another meaningful stride forward in Indiana’s fight against prescription drug abuse as we roll out new guidelines aimed at curbing overprescribed addictive opioids,” said Governor Pence. “While communities across the Hoosier state and the nation work to address a prescription opioid and heroin epidemic, my administration remains vigilant in addressing the scourge of drug abuse that has brought heartbreak for far too many Hoosier families.”

Led by the Indiana Hospital Association (IHA) and the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA), a coalition of professionals representing the medical community developed these recommendations, which include best practices for prescribing while allowing physicians to exercise their professional judgment. Following this endorsement, ISDH will work with IHA and ISMA to disseminate the guidelines to hospitals and emergency room physicians.

“The national opioid epidemic is largely a product of overprescribing and a longstanding belief that patients should experience no pain,” said State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H. “These new guidelines will help Indiana physicians treat patients’ pain responsibly and encourage both doctor and patient to explore pain-management options that don’t include addictive opioids.”

To view the guidelines, visit http://www.in.gov/gtfdetp/files/Indiana_ER_Opioid_Prescribing_Guidelines.pdf.

For additional information about the Task Force, including a list of resources, post-meeting recordings, minutes, presentation materials, and upcoming agendas, visit: www.drugtaskforce.in.gov.