Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program
Flip the Script
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Register for free continuing education credits and review frequently asked questions about the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program (OPIP).
Attention APNs and PAs
Please complete the Specialty Designation Survey for APNs and PAs to identify your correct specialty group for the DHS Opioid Prescribing Reports.
Changing the conversation to improve health
When you prescribe opioids to a patient, consider that you might also be changing the script for the rest of their lives. The conversation you have with your patient about pain management and opioid use can represent a dramatic turning point.
There are ways to reframe the conversation about pain management and opioids with your patients, avoid pitfalls, catch trouble signs and keep your patients on the right path. Flip the Script provides the tools, education and resources you need to give your patients the chance to write a far more positive life story for themselves, while helping you get back to the work you do best — helping your patients get and stay healthy.
- Learn more about the opioid epidemic in Minnesota.
- Use the Minnesota Fast-Tracker to access available mental health and substance use treatment resources.
- Access statewide data on the opioid dashboard.
- Learn about a quality improvement program to support providers whose opioid prescribing falls outside norms.
- Visit the Opioid Prescribing Work Group, an advisory body of experts convened to forward the legislatively mandated Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program.
- Read the FDA’s statement about the dangers of sudden discontinuation or rapid dose reductions among patients receiving chronic opioid pain medications.
Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program
Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature established the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program in 2015 to reduce opioid dependency and misuse in Minnesota related to opioid prescriptions. The Opioid Prescribing Work Group will convene through 2021 to advance the program, which includes:
- Statewide opioid prescribing guidelines for three pain phases:
- Acute pain: One to four days after a severe injury or medical condition and up to seven days after a major surgical procedure or trauma.
- Post-acute pain: Between four and 45 days after a severe injury, severe medical condition, or major surgical procedure or trauma.
- Chronic pain: Pain lasting longer than 45 days after an acute event or beyond the normal expected time of tissue healing.
- Annual reports to prescribers who serve Minnesotans on public health care programs using a set of sentinel opioid prescribing measures
- A quality improvement program for prescribers who serve Minnesotans on public health care programs and whose prescribing behavior is outside of community standards
- Education resources for providers about prescribing opioids for pain management.
The Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program excludes patients diagnosed with cancer or who receive hospice or palliative care services.
Goals and expectations
The goal of the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program is to work collaboratively with the Minnesota medical community to:
- Reduce inappropriate or excessive opioid prescribing for acute and post-acute pain
- Reduce inappropriate variation in opioid prescribing for acute and post-acute pain
- Manage patients who remain on chronic opioid analgesic therapy carefully through multimodal treatment approaches, improved monitoring of safety and harm reduction strategies.