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U.S. Pain Foundation submits comments to CMS RFI
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opened a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit input into the development of an Action Plan on the opioid crisis and the treatment of acute and chronic pain as specified in the SUPPORT Act. The deadline for...
CMS holds public meeting on pain and opioids, seeks public comment by Oct. 11
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a public meeting on Sept. 20 to solicit input into the development of an Action Plan on the opioid crisis and the treatment of acute and chronic pain as specified in the SUPPORT Act. The Action Plan is due...
Cindy Steinbergs speaks about pain at CMS
On Sept. 20, National Director of Policy and Advocacy Cindy Steinberg spoke on a panel at a public meeting about chronic pain and substance use disorder at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in Washington, D.C. The goal of the meeting was to discuss CMS's...
This Wednesday: learn how you can fight for legislative change
The final online event in our Pain Awareness Month series will explore the ways in which patient advocacy--at both the state and federal levels--centers on sharing your personal pain story. The event will take place Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 11:30 AM - 12:30 pm EST....
Cindy Steinberg to speak at CMS meeting
National Director of Policy and Advocacy Cindy Steinberg will speak at a Sept. 20 public meeting at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). At this meeting, CMS is slated to present its Action Plan to address the opioid crisis and pain management, called for in...
U.S. Pain organizes listening session on osteoarthritis at FDA
On Aug. 7, a group of three U.S. Pain Foundation representatives with osteoarthritis (OA) and one caregiver joined Director of State Advocacy & Alliance Development Shaina Smith to speak about the challenges of the disease before senior officials within the U.S....
U.S. Pain spearheads joint letter to the U.S. Senate HELP Committee
U.S. Pain Foundation recently led a group of 24 pain patient and professional organizations in sending a joint letter to U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, who lead the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, requesting that the...
U.S. Pain Foundation reps take part in two national conferences
U.S. Pain Foundation’s involvement with various diseases and causes takes its staff members all over the country, and this month was no exception. Representatives gave talks, led sessions, hosted tables and participated in panels at two conferences this month: the...
INvisible Project: Migraine Edition state house tour stops in Sacramento
On July 10, U.S. Pain Foundation took its INvisible Project: Migraine Edition displays to Sacramento, CA, for an educational event at the state capitol building. The INvisible Project is a print magazine and traveling display that highlights the stories of real pain...
U.S. Pain staff member publishes op-ed on cannabis for pain
An increasing number of states offer medical cannabis programs. In most cases, to be eligible, patients must be diagnosed with a specific condition listed by the state. Unfortunately, the list of qualifying conditions can be very limited, meaning a large number of...
Update on the Pain Management Best Practices Task Force
Efforts to disseminate and begin implementing recommendations from the new report from the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (PMTF), released in May, are underway. Most notably, according to a June 3 report from Fox News, Sen. Lamar...
Do you have two minutes to fight for better pain care?
The new report on pain management, mandated by Congress and finalized on May 30, is an important milestone for people with pain. The report emphasizes the need for access to affordable, multidisciplinary care, and urges an individualized approach to pain...
The federal report on pain management is finalized. What’s next?
The new report on pain management, mandated by Congress, has the potential to improve pain care for millions of Americans. But how do we move it forward from a piece of paper to actual change? To learn how you can help, please join us this Wednesday, May 22, at 12 pm...
U.S. Pain representatives take part in federal task force’s final meeting
On May 9 and 10, the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force--an advisory group convened by Congress and overseen by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--held its last public meeting to finalize a report on improving pain care in America....
Participate in the final meeting of the federal task force on pain
An incredible 6,000 groups and individuals stepped up to give feedback on the draft report from the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force during the comment period that ended April 1. Among the groups was a coalition of pain-patient related...
FDA, CDC react to harm to pain patients
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reacted to the unintended harm to people living with chronic pain as a result of policy measures intended to ameliorate the opioid crisis. On April 9, the FDA...
Congress introduces step therapy act, state efforts continue
Patient and provider groups are celebrating the introduction of the “Safe Step Act,” a federal bill aimed at lessening treatment delays and barriers to the access of prescription therapies. Filed by Representatives Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), HR 2279...
Pain community unites to respond to federal draft report
The 90-day public comment period for the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force’s (PMTF) draft report came to a close April 1, with more than 6,000 individuals and organizations submitting feedback. Among those to comment was the Consumer Pain Advocacy...
Voices from the Hill
By Jorie Logan-Morris and Jeannette Rotondi Every year in February, advocates for migraine and headache disease come together in Washington, D.C., for an event known as Headache on the Hill (HOH). HOH is organized by the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy...
CPATF submits letter on draft report to HHS Secretary Azar; docket letter planned
Last week, the Consumer Pain Advocacy Task Force (CPATF)--a coalition of pain patient-related nonprofits, including U.S. Pain Foundation--submitted a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar regarding the draft report on pain...
One month left to comment on federal recommendations on pain
In late December, a high-ranking federal task force released a draft report with recommendations for improving the management of chronic and acute pain nationwide. The landmark report will be finalized and submitted to Congress at the end of May. The pain community is...
Headache on the Hill brings 160 advocates to Congress
From Feb. 10 through 13, representatives from U.S. Pain Foundation proudly participated in Headache on the Hill (HOH) in Washington, DC, for the second year in a row. Organized by the Alliance for Headache Advocacy, HOH is an event that bring together patients,...
Hearing on pain makes headlines: Let’s keep up the momentum
On Feb. 12, for the first time in years, Congress held a hearing on chronic pain. We were proud to have Cindy Steinberg, National Director of Policy and Advocacy, as one of the four selected witnesses who gave testimony. As a reminder, you can watch a recording of the...
Learn about the draft report on pain management
Even though the draft report from the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force is vitally important, it's understandable that people with pain may not have the time or energy for reading a 91-page report. With that in mind, we have pulled together some...
Help us keep the conversation about pain going at a national level
Pain patients need and deserve a seat at the table (even if it means bringing in a cot!). On Feb. 12, they finally got one. "We are incredibly grateful to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) for including Cindy Steinberg, National...
Cindy Steinberg to speak at U.S. Senate hearing on pain management
Cindy Steinberg, National Director of Policy and Advocacy for U.S. Pain Foundation, has been selected as one of four expert witnesses to speak at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The hearing, "Managing Pain During the...
We’re breaking down patient advocacy. Are you in?
On Jan. 31, U.S. Pain Foundation's Advocacy Network will host a free training session for existing advocates and interested volunteers to learn what it means to be a patient advocate. Attendees will learn about issues impacting Americans with chronic pain and what...
Webinar now available on new federal guidelines on pain, why they matter and how to weigh in
A high-ranking federal task force has released its much-anticipated draft report with recommendations for improving the management of chronic and acute pain. The public is being asked to provide feedback on the report by April 1. On Jan. 16, Cindy Steinberg, National...
Deadline to weigh in on federal pain management recommendations is April 1
It can seem, sometimes, like the federal government is weighing in on pain care without understanding what patients go through. Fortunately, a new task force charged with creating recommendations for pain management has worked hard to include the patient perspective....
Federal task force calls for patient-centered, integrated approach to pain care
Today, the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force released its much-anticipated draft report with recommendations for improving the lives of millions of individuals with acute and chronic pain. The task force, which was was convened last year, is...
U.S. Pain takes part in latest NIH Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee meeting
The Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC), the nation’s highest-level pain policy committee, convened on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Nov. 16 for its second meeting of 2018. U.S. Pain Foundation has two appointees on this...
Director of State Advocacy speaks on panel about opioids at BIO summit
U.S. Pain’s Director of State Advocacy and Alliance Development Shaina Smith was among the speakers at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s (BIO) Patient and Health Advocacy Summit held Oct. 25 and 26 in Washington, D.C. The annual event brings together patient...
Advocacy Network launches online training series
Volunteers who have signed up to join the Advocacy Network joined an invitation-only training webinar to learn about an issue impacting families and individuals across the country: surprise bills. The presentation was the first of a series of advocacy training...
Cannabis continues to grow backing among lawmakers
Policymakers across both aisles have had mixed viewpoints when it comes to cultivating cannabis, not in the literal sense, but as it relates to bills that would permit individuals to access medical cannabis. Several states, however, are expanding or considering...
U.S. Pain Director to Serve on Pain Management Design Group
U.S. Pain Foundation’s Director of State Advocacy and Alliance Development Shaina Smith has been appointed to serve on a pain management design group put together by Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy (OHS). The Primary Care Modernization initiative is intended...
Congress agrees on opioid legislation that will likely pass this week
The Senate and House have agreed to a compromise opioid bill HR 6, the SUPPORT Act, which has passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate this week and be signed into law by the President. This is the second big piece of legislation Congress has created to...
HHS Pain Management Best Practices Task Force holds second meeting
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Task Force convened its second public meeting on Sept. 25 and 26 in Washington, DC. “The main purpose of the meeting was for the three task force subcommittees to present a...
Take action to thank Delaware’s Governor for progressive pain legislation
Patients with back pain in Delaware will have access to interdisciplinary pain care, following Gov. John Carney’s signing of Senate Bill 225. The act develops a pilot program within the state employee health care plan that allows the use of massage therapy,...
Two deadlines this month to contact federal government on chronic pain
Being a pain warrior means fighting for positive change. Right now, there are two major opportunities to comment on the state of pain care in America at the highest levels of the U.S. government: the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug...
Take action on Oregon’s Medicaid proposal
The late summer has brought the heat to Oregon after residents caught wind of a proposed change to Medicaid that would force patients with chronic pain to taper off opioid medications within one year beginning in 2020. While many states have enacted tougher...
New Illinois law protects families from insurance bait-and-switch
After a two-year effort put forth by the Illinois Fair Care Coalition, a group of patient and provider groups co-led by U.S. Pain Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation, children and adults living with chronic conditions will no longer face potentially harmful...
California considers medical cannabis research program
California has long been a harbinger of medical cannabis access. In 1996, it approved medical cannabis for patients with a physician’s recommendation, and in 2016, it legalized marijuana for all residents. Continuing to lead the way on this therapeutic treatment...
MA passes landmark legislation that includes help for pain patients
The Massachusetts legislature passed a landmark opioid bill that includes help for people with pain. The bill passed at a quarter to midnight on July 31, 15 minutes before the end of the 2017-2018 formal session; the Governor signed the bill into law the following...
Tell Congress: Don’t punish people with pain
Several weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed HR 6, or the "SUPPORT Patients and Communities Act." Many provisions of HR 6, if they remain in a compromise version of the bill, could be detrimental to pain patients. These provisions include: Discouraging use...
Pain warriors unite in speaking out at FDA meeting
Cindy Steinberg, National Director of Policy and Advocacy, was one of the numerous people with pain to speak at the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s “Patient-Focused Drug Development Public Meeting on Chronic Pain” on July 9. The event drew an at-capacity...
Patient groups come together to weigh in on HHS prescription costs plan
The rising costs of prescription medications is one of the most pressing issues in health care today. This spring, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a 44-page plan to tackle the issue, called “American Patients First.” U.S. Pain Foundation was...
States beginning to support reimbursement for alternative care
In the midst of a spate of laws restricting access to care and medication for chronic pain patients, several states are quietly trying to ensure that patients can access alternative or complementary treatment options. “We know that many people with debilitating...
Schedule a meeting with your elected official this summer
While summer may seem like a chance for taking a break from advocacy, it’s actually the perfect time to schedule in-district meetings with representatives and senators and educate them on issues related to chronic pain. “The schedules of elected officials are...
Millions in federal funding earmarked for pain research
In April at the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit and in a recent Journal of American Medical Association article, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced a bold new initiative to advance addiction and pain research called...
How self-advocacy can expand beyond your pain journey
The term “advocacy” holds different meanings for different people. When you are a person living with chronic illness, advocating for your health needs, for safe and effective care, and for affordable access to therapies, become a part of your everyday life. That’s...