Virginia Administrative Code
Title 18 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING
Agency 60 - BOARD OF DENTISTRY
Chapter 21 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE PRACTICE OF DENTISTRY
Part III - Prescribing for Pain Management
Section 18VAC60-21-108 - Patient counseling for opioids

Universal Citation: 8 VA Admin Code 60-21-108

Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 3, September 23, 2024

A. Prior to issuing a prescription for an opioid to treat acute or chronic pain, practitioners must provide patient counseling on the following:

1. The risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid drugs and the dangers of taking opioid drugs with alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system depressants;

2. The reasons why the prescription is necessary;

3. Alternative treatments that may be available; and

4. Risks associated with the use of the drugs being prescribed, specifically that opioids are highly addictive, even when taken as prescribed, that there is a risk of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the controlled dangerous substance, and that the risks of taking more opioids than prescribed, or mixing sedatives, benzodiazepines, or alcohol with opioids can result in fatal respiratory depression.

Such patient counseling shall be documented in the patient's medical record.

B. Patient counseling as described in subsection A shall not be a requirement for patients who are (i) in active treatment for cancer, (ii) receiving hospice care from a licensed hospice or palliative care, (iii) residents of a long-term care facility, (iv) being prescribed an opioid in the course of treatment for substance abuse or opioid dependence, or (v) receiving treatment for sickle cell disease.

Statutory Authority: § 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Virginia may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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