Health insurer lobby and trade group America's Health Insurance Plans submitted comments April 11 on the CDC's proposed updates to opioid-prescribing guidelines.
The CDC unveiled its plan to update its 2016 guidelines in February.
The insurer advocates said they support the CDC's goals to improve communication between clinicians and patients and put more emphasis on patient needs and treatment goals.
The group also said it supports more research to close knowledge gaps. It cited a need for research to enhance risk assessment tools and to inform future evidence-based clinical guidelines on dosing and treatment options to manage pain.
The group said the CDC should advise against prescribing a large supply of opioids distributed at once, such as a 15 to 30-day supply. The CDC's previous guidance supported a seven-day limit on initial prescriptions. And the agency should consider recommending co-prescribing naloxone for patients who are tapering or those who may be at risk of overdose, given the potential for a patient to turn to illicit drugs.
It also recommended that the CDC align its guidelines with that of other government agencies.
"Providers and patients alike would benefit from having aligned guidelines on what constitutes risk," the group said.
Read America's Health Insurance Plans' full comments here.