Vermont § 640c - Opioid usage deterrence

§ 640c. Opioid usage deterrence

• (a) In support of the State’s fundamental interest in ensuring the well-being of employees
  and employers, it is the intent of the General Assembly to protect employees from
  the dangers of prescription drug abuse while maintaining a balance between the employee’s
  health and the employee’s expedient return to work. (b) As it pertains to workers’ compensation claims, the Commissioner of Labor, in consultation
  with the Department of Health, the State Pharmacologist, the Vermont Board of Medical
  Practice, and the Vermont Medical Society, shall adopt rules consistent with the best
  practices governing the prescription of opioids, including patient screening, drug
  screening, and claim adjudication for patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain.
  In adopting rules, the Commissioner shall consider guidelines and standards such as
  the Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines published by the American College of
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine and other medical authorities with expertise
  in the treatment of chronic pain. The rules shall be consistent with the standards
  and guidelines under 18 V.S.A. § 4289 and any rules adopted by the Department of Health pursuant to 18 V.S.A. § 4289. (Added 2013, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 52.)