Proposed Pain Care Policy Changes
Draft Report on Pain Management Best Practices: Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Recommendations
The Pain Management Task Force within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued a preliminary report of suggested changes to the current “best practices” for public comment. Here’s a brief overview of what they intend to accomplish:
“The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016 led to the creation of the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force), whose mission is to determine whether gaps in or inconsistencies between best practices for acute and chronic pain management exist and to propose updates and recommendations to those best practices. The Task Force consists of 29 experts who have significant experience across the disciplines of pain management, patient advocacy, substance use disorders, mental health, and minority health. This draft report describes preliminary recommendations of the Task Force that will be finalized and submitted to Congress in 2019, following a 90-day public comment period.”
The draft addresses many aspects of a “balanced pain management” model of care, including multi-modal and multidisciplinary approaches, safer opioid practices, current stigma to address, and advanced education and innovation. Read the full Draft Report HERE.