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Effective Friday, December 29, 2017, all prescribers are required to include the first four alphanumeric characters of the diagnosis/procedure code (CDT) on all opioid prescriptions. The CDT code will be required on all other controlled substance prescriptions beginning June 1, 2018. Additionally, prescription labels on all controlled substances and gabapentin prescriptions must indicate the days’ supply.

The new CDT Code requirement represents another part of the revised regulations by the State Medical Board of Ohio regarding treatment of patients with opioid medications. Other prescribing rules that became effective in 2017 regard the treatment of acute pain by both the patient’s Primary Care Physician and any other Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner with the authority to prescribe opioids as part of the treatment plan. These modifications to the acute pain prescribing include:

1. No more than seven days of opioids shall be prescribed for any adult patient’s first prescription of the medication;
2. No more than five days shall be prescribed for minors, and only with written consent from parent or legal guardian;
3. Providers may prescribe opioids in excess of supply limits only with a reason specified in the patient’s record, by the PCP;
4. Aside from specified reason, the total morphine equivalent dose (MED) may not exceed 30mg per day; and
5. These new limitations do not apply to opioids prescribed for cancer, palliative care, hospice care, or patients being treated for addiction.

Additional information on the new regulations and frequently asked questions by prescribers is available here and at the Medical Board’s website.

If you are a health care professional regulated by the Ohio Medical Board or Ohio Pharmacy Board and you have questions regarding CDT code labeling requirements, you should consider contacting an attorney at Graff & McGovern, LPA, for a no-cost consultation. Levi Tkach is available to take your call at 614-228-5800, extension 4.