Washington Administrative Code
Title 246 - Health, Department of
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LICENSING
Chapter 246-918 - Physician assistants Washington medical commission
OPIOID PRESCRIBING-ACUTE NONOPERATIVE PAIN AND ACUTE PERIOPERATIVE PAIN
Section 246-918-840 - Treatment plan-Acute perioperative pain

(1) The physician assistant should consider prescribing nonopioids as the first line of pain control in patients unless not clinically appropriate in accordance with the provisions of WAC 246-918-820.

(2) The physician assistant, or their designee, shall conduct queries of the PMP in accordance with the provisions of WAC 246-918-935.

(3) If the physician assistant prescribes opioids for effective pain control, such prescription must not be in a greater quantity than needed for the expected duration of pain severe enough to require opioids. A three-day supply or less will often be sufficient. The physician assistant shall not prescribe beyond a fourteen-day supply from the time of discharge without clinical documentation in the patient record to justify the need for such a quantity.

(4) The physician assistant shall reevaluate a patient who does not follow the expected course of recovery and reconsider the continued use of opioids or whether tapering or discontinuing opioids is clinically indicated.

(5) Follow-up visits for pain control should include objectives or metrics to be used to determine treatment success if opioids are to be continued. This may include:

(6) If a prescription results in the patient receiving a combination of opioids with a sedative medication listed in WAC 246-918-920, such prescribing must be in accordance with WAC 246-918-920.

(7) Long-acting or extended release opioids are not indicated for acute perioperative pain.

(8) Medication assisted treatment medications must not be discontinued when treating acute perioperative pain, except as consistent with the provisions of WAC 246-918-925.

(9) If the physician assistant elects to treat a patient with opioids beyond the six-week time period of acute perioperative pain, the physician assistant shall document in the patient record that the patient is transitioning from acute pain to sub-acute pain. Rules governing the treatment of subacute pain, WAC 246-918-845 and 246-918-850, shall apply unless there is documented improvement in function or pain control and there is a documented plan and timing for discontinuation of all opioid medications.