May 5, 2022
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is planning to send more than 15,000 opioid prescribing reports to Minnesota Medicaid and MinnesotaCare providers through the providers’ health system or via the U.S. Postal Service.
All providers who receive a 2021 DHS opioid prescribing report are exempt from their respective licensing board’s requirement to complete two hours of continuing education on prescribing opioids.
DHS has issued reports annually since 2018. The 2021 version is notable because it identifies roughly 300 healthcare providers whose opioid prescribing rates exceed certain quality thresholds. These providers may be required to participate in a quality improvement (QI) program with DHS.
If you receive a report:
Use its data to gain insight into how your opioid prescribing compares to that of your specialty peers.
DHS discourages abrupt cessation or dramatic changes in opioid prescribing for individual patients. Such practices are unsafe and can indicate low-quality care. DHS is monitoring prescribing data and will reach out to providers to address instances where patient safety is in question.
Questions and feedback regarding the reports and quality improvement program can be submitted using the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program (OPIP) Inquiry form
Information about the quality improvement program and prescribing reports is located on the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Program webpages.
May 29, 2025
As the Legislature works to complete its work on the state’s two-year budget, another deadline is looming. Legislators are required to pass a balanced budget before the end of the fiscal year—June 30, 2025. If they don’t meet that deadline, the state will begin a partial shutdown.
May 29, 2025
Registration has opened for the Empowering Physicians: A Night of Reflection and Engagement event, featuring best-selling author Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD.
May 29, 2025
The AMA is encouraging physicians to contact their U.S. senators and urge them to revise the reconciliation bill passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives. While the bill includes language that would stabilize Medicare physician payments, it also threatens to cripple Medicaid and CHIP.