Pain and Opioid Prescribing
Read our Guidelines
(Adopted January 2019)
How chronic pain is treated varies between systems and providers. Collaborative or team-based care often better helps people manage their chronic pain. However, most approaches to pain management including chronic opioid therapy involved siloed health care providers. This workgroup met from January 2018 to January 2019 and focused on a biopsychosocial model within primary care for patients with chronic pain with life activity impacts.
Previous Meeting Materials
Supporting Materials
Letter from the Health Care Authority Accepting the Collaborative Care for Chronic Pain Recommendations
Collaborative Care for Chronic Pain Workgroup Charter and Roster
.Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Leah Hole-Marshall, JD (chair) | Counsel and Chief Strategist | Washington Health Benefit Exchange |
| Ross Bethel, MD | Physician | Selah Family Medicine |
| LuAnn Chen, MD, MHA, FAAFP | Medical Director | Community Health Plan of Washington |
| Lynn DeBar, PhD, MPH | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute |
| Stuart Freed MD | Chief Medical Officer | Confluence Health |
| Andrew Friedman, MD | Physiatrist | Virginia Mason Medical Center |
| Mark Murphy, MD | President | Washington Society of Addiction Medicine |
| Mary Kay O’Neill, MD, MBA | Partner | Mercer |
| Jim Rivard, PT, DPT, MOMT, OCS, FAAOMPT | President | MTI Physical Therapy |
| Kari A. Stephens, PhD | Assistant Professor – Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences | University of Washington Medicine |
| Mark Sullivan, MD, PhD | Professor, psychiatry; Adjunct professor, anesthesiology and pain medicine | University of Washington Medicine |
| Nancy Tietje | Patient Advocate | |
| Emily Transue, MD, MHA | Associate Medical Director | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute |
Read our Guidelines
(Adopted November 2013)
Read the Revised Spine SCOAP Recommendation
(Adopted March 2013)
Low back pain is a major concern for many of us. In September 2011, we formed a workgroup to develop recommendations for preventing the transition of acute pain to chronic pain and disability and also recommended that all hospitals participate in the Spine Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP) to improve surgical outcomes for chronic low back pain patients. SCOAP is a provider-led program of the Foundation for Health Care Quality that collects data on select surgical procedures for quality improvement.
Supporting Materials
Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting TKR/THR Bundle, Warranty, and Spine Report
Public Comments Summary: Spine/Low Back Pain Report and Recommendations
Original Spine SCOAP Recommendation to HCA (Adopted January 2013)
Workgroup Charter
Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting Spine SCOAP and Cardiology Recommendations
Workgroup Members
| Member | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Brzusek, DO | Physiatrist | Northwest Rehab Association |
| Neil Chasan | Physical Therapist | Sport Reaction Center |
| Andrew Friedman, MD | Physiatrist | Virginia Mason |
| Leah Hole-Curry, JD | Medical Administrator | WA State Labor & Industries |
| Heather Kroll, MD | Rehab Physician | Rehab Institute of Washington |
| Chong Lee, MD | Spine Surgeon | Group Health Cooperative |
| Mary Kay O’Neill, MD, MBA (Chair) | Executive Medical Director | Regence Blue Shield |
| John Robinson, MD, SM | Chief Medical Officer | First Choice Health |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Psychologist & Researcher | Group Health Research Institute |
| Kelly Weaver, MD | Physiatrist | The Everett Clinic |
Read our Guidelines
(Adopted May 2020)
These guidelines build on the Washington State Agency Medical Directors Group (AMDG) comprehensive Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Pain (June 2015) and focus on helping manage those who have been on long-term opioid therapy. This workgroup met from through 2019 and 2020.
Previous Meeting Materials
Supporting Materials
Letter from the Health Care Authority Accepting the Postoperative Prescribing Guidelines
Letter from the HCA Accepting Dental Prescribing Guidelines
Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting Opioid Prescribing Metrics
Opioid Guideline Implementation Charter
Agency Medical Directors Group Interagency Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Pain
AMDG Guideline Summary
Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Gary Franklin, MD, MPH (Co-Chair) | Medical Director | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Charissa Fotinos, MD (Co-Chair) | Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Andrew Saxon, MD (Co-Chair) | Director, Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE) | VA Puget Sound Health Care System |
| Rose Bigham and Cyndi Hoenhous (Co-Chairs) | Patient Advocates | Washington Patients in Intractable Pain |
| Pamela Stitzlein Davies, MS, ARNP, FAANP | Nurse Practitioner | Departments of Neurology & Nursing, University of Washington |
| Andrew Friedman, MD | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Virginia Mason Medical Center |
| Kelly Golob, DC | Chiropractor | Tumwater Chiropractic Center |
| Dan Kent, MD | Chief Medical Officer | UnitedHealthcare |
| Kathy Lofy, MD | Chief Science Officer | Washington State Department of Health |
| Jaymie Mai, PharmD | Pharmacy Manager | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Mark Murphy, MD | Addiction Medicine and Pain Management | MultiCare Health System |
| Anne Blake-Nickels | Patient Advocate | |
| Gregory Rudolph, MD | Addiction Medicine | Swedish Pain Services |
| Jennifer Davies-Sandler | Patient Advocate | |
| Mark Stephens | President | Change Management Consulting |
| Mark Sullivan, MD, PhD | Psychiatrist | University of Washington |
| David Tauben, MD | Chief of Pain Medicine | University of Washington Medical Center |
| Gregory Terman MD, PhD | Professor | Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington |
| John Vassall, MD, FACP | Physician Executive for Quality and Safety | Comagine Health |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute |
| Mia Wise, DO | Medical Director, Collaborative Healthcare Solutions | Premera Blue Cross |
Opioid Prescribing: Postoperative Pain Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Chris Baumgartner | Director Prescription Monitoring Program | Washington State Department of Health |
| Gary Franklin, MD, MPH (Chair) | Medical Director | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Charissa Fontinos, MD | Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Deb Gordon, DNP, RN, FAAN | Teaching Associate, Co-director, Pain Service, Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine | Harborview Medical Center |
| Frances Gough, MD | Chief Medical Officer | Molina Healthcare |
| Dan Kent, MD | Chief Medical Officer | UnitedHealthcare |
| Kathy Lofy, MD | Chief Science Officer | Washington State Department of Health |
| Jaymie Mai, PharmD | Pharmacy Manager | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Shirley Reitz, PharmD | Clinical Pharmacist Client Manager | OmedaRx, Cambia |
| Gregory Rudolph, MD | Addiction Medicine | Swedish Pain Services |
| Mark Stephens | President | Change Management Consulting |
| David Tauben, MD | Chief of Pain Medicine | University of Washington Medical Center |
| Gregory Terman MD, PhD | Professor | Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute |
| Mia Wise, DO | Medical Director, Collaborative Healthcare Solutions | Premera Blue Cross |
Opioid Guideline: Metrics Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Chris Baumgartner | Director Prescription Monitoring Program | Washington State Department of Health |
| David Buchholz, MD | Medical Director | Premera Blue Cross |
| Gary Franklin, MD, MPH (Chair) | Medical Director | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Charissa Fontinos, MD | Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Deb Fulton-Kehoe, PhD, MPH | Epidemiologist | University of
Washington |
| Frances Gough, MD | Chief Medical Officer | Molina Healthcare |
| Dan Kent, MD | Chief Medical Officer | UnitedHealthcare |
| Kathy Lofy, MD | Chief Science Officer | Washington State Department of Health |
| Jaymie Mai, PharmD | Pharmacy Manager | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Mark Murphy, MD | Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine | MultiCare |
| Shirley Reitz, PharmD | Clinical Pharmacist Client Manager | OmedaRx, Cambia |
| Gregory Rudolph, MD | Addiction Medicine | Swedish Pain Services |
| Mark Stephens | President | Change Management Consulting |
| David Tauben, MD | Chief of Pain Medicine | University of Washington Medical Center |
| Gregory Terman MD, PhD | Professor | Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute |
Read our Guidelines
(Adopted July 2018)
These guidelines build on the Washington State Agency Medical Directors Group (AMDG) comprehensive Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Pain (June 2015) and focus on guidance for opioid prescribing after surgery. This workgroup met through 2017 and 2018.
Supporting Materials
Letter from the Health Care Authority Accepting the Postoperative Prescribing Guidelines
Letter from the HCA Accepting Dental Prescribing Guidelines
Letter from Health Care Authority Accepting Opioid Prescribing Metrics
Opioid Guideline Implementation Charter
Agency Medical Directors Group Interagency Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Pain
AMDG Guideline Summary
Opioid Prescribing: Postoperative Pain Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Chris Baumgartner | Director Prescription Monitoring Program | Washington State Department of Health |
| Gary Franklin, MD, MPH (Chair) | Medical Director | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Charissa Fontinos, MD | Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Deb Gordon, DNP, RN, FAAN | Teaching Associate, Co-director, Pain Service, Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine | Harborview Medical Center |
| Frances Gough, MD | Chief Medical Officer | Molina Healthcare |
| Dan Kent, MD | Chief Medical Officer | UnitedHealthcare |
| Kathy Lofy, MD | Chief Science Officer | Washington State Department of Health |
| Jaymie Mai, PharmD | Pharmacy Manager | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Shirley Reitz, PharmD | Clinical Pharmacist Client Manager | OmedaRx, Cambia |
| Gregory Rudolph, MD | Addiction Medicine | Swedish Pain Services |
| Mark Stephens | President | Change Management Consulting |
| David Tauben, MD | Chief of Pain Medicine | University of Washington Medical Center |
| Gregory Terman MD, PhD | Professor | Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute |
| Mia Wise, DO | Medical Director, Collaborative Healthcare Solutions | Premera Blue Cross |
Read our Guidelines
(Adopted September 2017)
These guidelines build on the Washington State Agency Medical Directors Group (AMDG) comprehensive Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Pain (June 2015) and focus on opioid prescriptions after dental procedures. This workgroup met through 2017.
Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Chris Baumgartner | Director Prescription Monitoring Program | Washington State Department of Health |
| David Buchholz, MD | Medical Director | Premera Blue Cross |
| Rolf Christensen, DDS | Dental Urgent Care Clinic Director | University of Washington School of Dentistry |
| Tom Dodson, DMD, MPH | Professor & Chair, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | University of Washington School of Dentistry |
| Gary Franklin, MD, MPH (Chair) | Medical Director | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Charissa Fontinos, MD | Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Bea Gandara, DDS | Professor | University of Washington School of Dentistry |
| Frances Gough, MD | Chief Medical Officer | Molina Healthcare |
| Dan Kent, MD | Chief Medical Officer | UnitedHealthcare |
| Kathy Lofy, MD | Chief Science Officer | Washington State Department of Health |
| Jaymie Mai, PharmD | Pharmacy Manager | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Theresa Madden, DDS, MS, PhD | Fellow | International College of Dentists |
| Ron Marsh, DDS | Member | Washington State Dental
Quality Assurance Commission |
| Mellani McAleenan, JD | Director of Government Relations | Washington State Dental Association |
| Shirley Reitz, PharmD | Clinical Pharmacist Client Manager | OmedaRx, Cambia |
| Gregory Rudolph, MD | Addiction Medicine | Swedish Pain Services |
| Mark Stephens | President | Change Management Consulting |
| David Tauben, MD | Chief of Pain Medicine | University of Washington Medical Center |
| Gregory Terman MD, PhD | Professor | Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator |
Read our Opioid Prescribing Metrics
(Adopted July 2017)
These guidelines build on the Washington State Agency Medical Directors Group (AMDG) comprehensive Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Pain (June 2015) and set a state standard for measuring opioid prescriptions. This workgroup met through 2016 and into 2017.
Workgroup Members
| Name | Title | Organization |
| Chris Baumgartner | Director Prescription Monitoring Program | Washington State Department of Health |
| David Buchholz, MD | Medical Director | Premera Blue Cross |
| Gary Franklin, MD, MPH (Chair) | Medical Director | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Charissa Fontinos, MD | Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Washington State Health Care Authority |
| Deb Fulton-Kehoe, PhD, MPH | Epidemiologist | University of
Washington |
| Frances Gough, MD | Chief Medical Officer | Molina Healthcare |
| Dan Kent, MD | Chief Medical Officer | UnitedHealthcare |
| Kathy Lofy, MD | Chief Science Officer | Washington State Department of Health |
| Jaymie Mai, PharmD | Pharmacy Manager | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries |
| Mark Murphy, MD | Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine | MultiCare |
| Shirley Reitz, PharmD | Clinical Pharmacist Client Manager | OmedaRx, Cambia |
| Gregory Rudolph, MD | Addiction Medicine | Swedish Pain Services |
| Mark Stephens | President | Change Management Consulting |
| David Tauben, MD | Chief of Pain Medicine | University of Washington Medical Center |
| Gregory Terman MD, PhD | Professor | Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Washington |
| Michael Von Korff, ScD | Senior Investigator | Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute |
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