Injured workers may soon be limited in the amount of opioid prescriptions they could receive. New rules are being considered by the North Carolina Industrial Commission.
Commission Chairman Charlton Allen said at a news conference Wednesday he thinks new guidelines are needed, based on a recent study of workers compensation claims and opioid-related deaths.
Allen said the study found that more than 800 people on workers' comp died of an overdose over about four years. The study didn't specify whether or how pain medication prescriptions contributed to the deaths.
The commission is considering nine rules to limit the number of opioid prescriptions a person could receive. It would also encourage alternative treatments such as physical therapy and massage.
The new rules could go into effect in May.