On the heels of a U.S. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing on Medicare's part in opioid management Feb. 6, CMS wants to institute a seven-day limit on initial opioid prescriptions, Medscape reports.
Here are five takeaways:
1. The subcommittee members concluded Medicare has fallen short of its duty to promote prevention and treatment of opioid abuse. Little data exists concerning Medicare members' opioid use and providers' prescribing patterns to this population.
2. Effective in 2019, CMS proposes Part D plans restrict pharmacies from delivering prescriptions "more than a 90 morphine milligram equivalent, or a seven-day supply," Medscape reports.
3. Additionally, CMS called for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to pay close attention to patients using gabapentin and pregabalin, labeled as "potentiator" drugs leading to opioid misuse.
4. The proposal also includes a quality measure to track Part D plans' ability to "flag concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines," according to Medscape.
5. CMS will accept comments until March 5, publishing final requirements April 2.