From the Journal-Sentinel:
Emergency room departments in Milwaukee County are adopting new guidelines that discourage doctors from prescribing narcotic painkillers to patients with chronic pain.
The effort is designed to stem a growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse as addiction and fatal overdoses from painkillers have skyrocketed across the country.
Medical directors at all 10 emergency departments in Milwaukee County have collaborated on the effort. Other emergency departments in the area might soon follow suit.
Similar policies have been implemented in emergency departments across the country, including nearly all facilities in Washington state, where the effort began.
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