(Columbus, OH)--Ohio doctors have reached tentative agreement with the Kasich administration on a proposed rule requiring them to report the specific diagnosis of every patient who receives a prescription painkiller.
Parties to the negotiation said the deal was struck Friday, ahead of a Monday vote.
The disputed rule required prescribers to enter what's known as an ICD-10 code into Ohio's online reporting database for every controlled substance prescription. Under the compromise, hospitals and doctors' offices would report codes for opioids right away, but they would have an additional nine months to begin reporting all other controlled substances.
The administration argued the reporting mandate was critical to fighting Ohio's top status for opioid abuse and death.
Doctors cited heavy administrative and financial burdens in identifying and reporting the thousands of codes.
(This article contains information from the Associated Press)