Advancing Research For Chronic Pain Act (ARCPA)
Support ARCPA S. 5041
Bipartisan legislation would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to analyze and publish population health data on chronic pain.
Chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain affect millions of Americans, contributing to significant disability, lost productivity, health care costs, and diminished quality of life. Yet the CDC does not routinely collect, analyze, or publish comprehensive population-level data on chronic pain as it does for other major health conditions.
Better data would help identify trends, understand the impact of chronic pain, guide policy, and inform efforts to improve care and outcomes.
What You Need To Know
Chronic pain is an enormous public health problem that must be addressed. There is a tremendous need for regular, high-quality data to better understand the problem of pain, and to inform interventions to improve care and reduce associated costs.
ARCPA would provide data on:
- Incidence and prevalence of pain conditions.
- Demographics such as age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.
- Effectiveness of evidence-based approaches.
- Utilization of medical and social services.
- Indirect and direct costs.
- Risk factors, comorbidities, and health consequences.
From the Archives: Understanding the Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act
This webinar was recorded when the Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act was introduced in a previous Congress. While the legislation has since been reintroduced, the discussion provides helpful background on why better federal chronic pain data is needed and what the bill seeks to accomplish.
To locate references in our one-pager, Advancing Research For Chronic Pain Act, visit: uspainfoundation.org/advocacy/advancingresearchact.
