As of June 1 2020, changes to the PBS regarding the prescribing and dispensing of opioids for severe disabling pain have resulted in a large volume of referrals to PainMedSA for the purposes of authorising opioid medications.
These changes were made to prompt prescribers to reflect on their opioid prescribing practice, and to ensure that when either initiating or continuing to prescribe an opioid for long-term use whether they will benefit from opioid treatment and how the risks and harms are managed.
This has placed overwhelming demand on our administrative and clinical staff.
Medical evidence has repeatedly indicated that the use of opioids for extended periods of time beyond three to six months is associated with risk outweighing any plausible benefit. To ensure that the ongoing high level of clinical support is maintained for our current and future clients, PainMedSA will no longer be accepting referrals for DDU authority scripts.
If you or your referring doctor have already sent a referral for this purpose, a letter has been generated and sent to your referring doctor advising them of this.
For more information regarding opioid usage, please visit The Penington Institute, The International Association for the Study of Pain and Reach For The Facts.
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