Opioid Products

Limitations

For many people, substance use disorder starts after initially receiving opioid prescriptions for an episode of acute pain. To encourage the appropriate use of opioids and reduce the over-prescribing of opioids, Texas Medicaid has implemented the requirements in this section. The requirements in this section do not apply to clients who are:

  • Receiving hospice care or palliative care
  • Being treated for cancer
  • Residing in a long-term care facility
  • Residing in a facility in which residents receive opioid substitution therapy for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD)

The requirements also do not apply to other clients that HHSC elects to exempt based on an objective, confirmable physical pathology known to cause severe chronic pain that is not ameliorated by other therapies and for which opioid treatment is appropriate (e.g., sickle cell disease). If diagnoses are not available in the medical data, prescribers can request exemptions on a case-by-case basis through the pharmacy prior authorization process.

Prospective Safety Edits

HHSC performs the following Medicaid processes automatically during the pharmacy claims submission process.

Morphine Milligram Equivalents

Morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per day is used to compare the potency of one opioid to another. The clinical decision for the MME per day recommendations varies depending on the person's opioid use. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends starting opioid treatment with an immediate-release/short-acting formulation at the lowest effective dose instead of an extended-release/long-acting formulation.

A person is considered "opioid-naïve" if the client has taken opioids for a duration that is less than or equal to seven days in the last 60 days. For clients who are opioid- naïve, providers must submit a one-time prior authorization request for:

  • An opioid prescription that exceeds a ten-day supply.
  • A prescription for a long-acting opioid formulation.
  • A claim or combination of claims in which the total daily dose of opioids exceeds 90 MME

The one-time requirement for prior authorization does not apply to subsequent claims because the member will no longer be “opioid-naïve.” The duration of the prior authorization is equal to the days’ supply of the claim.

For clients who are not opioid naïve, prior authorization is required for opioid prescriptions if the total daily dose of opioids exceeds 90 MME. For those clients who may require a tapering plan, providers would determine the development and management of a person-specific course of therapy to help manage withdrawal symptoms. A prescriber may request a tapering plan through the pharmacy prior authorization process on a case-by-case basis. Prior authorization approvals last for six-months.

Days’ Supply Limits

Opioid prescriptions for the treatment of acute pain are rarely required for more than ten days. To reduce the risk of addiction and the diversion of unused opioids, opioid prescriptions for clients who are opioid naïve are limited to a maximum ten-day supply without prior authorization.

Prospective Safety Edits

The Medicaid policies and processes listed below are conducted automatically during the pharmacy claims submission process.

Fee-For-Service Three-prescription Limit

Prescriptions for opioids to treat acute pain for clients who are 21 years and older are exempt from the three-prescription-per-month limit for members in fee-for-service.

Prospective Drug Utilization Review Alerts

Medicaid returns prospective drug utilization review alerts for pharmacists on all claims when:

  • opioids and benzodiazepines are used concurrently; and
  • opioids and antipsychotics are used concurrently;

Refer to the Prospective Drug Utilization Review section for more information about alerts.