BURLINGTON — The Vermont Department of Health is hosting a series of presentations in the coming weeks to help familiarize health care professionals with new rules for prescribing opioids.
A new law limiting the number of opioid painkillers a doctor can prescribe and requiring providers to counsel patients on the risk of addiction will take effect July 1. In preparation, the Health Department will host presentations in Burlington and Rutland and online.
The Burlington presentation is April 18 at 6 p.m. at the University of Vermont Medical Center. There are two presentations at Rutland Regional Medical Center on Thursday, at noon and 5 p.m. A webinar hosted by the Vermont Medical Society is scheduled for May 17 at noon.
The precise rules governing prescribing practices were adopted by the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules after a lengthy public process.
“These rules are a critical part of our efforts to create conditions where we can prevent opioid addiction from starting,” said Health Commissioner Mark Levine in a statement.
