Florida Exempts Hospices From Opioid Alternative Law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law legislation that exempts hospices from a requirement that provider organizations offer alternatives to opioids for anesthesia and pain management. The new law, House Bill 743, removes hospices and critical care units from a list of types of health care provider organizations to which the opioid substitution rule applies.

The Florida state legislature last year passed a law mandating that health care provider organizations offer individuals non-opioid pain management medications. Pain management is a cornerstone of hospice care and can have a substantial impact on individual and family satisfaction. A 2014 study . . .