The issue
Opioids are a class of strong pain medication. While they may effectively manage moderate to severe pain, they do have addictive properties. Due to misinformation about the risk of addiction, a lack of accessible alternatives for pain relief, and other factors, opioid abuse and overdose have increased significantly in the last decade. In an effort to address the crisis, government officials and other policymakers have enacted far-reaching reforms on how opioid medications are prescribed and dispensed.
The problem
While reform is absolutely necessary, some of the restrictions on opioids have unintentionally harmed legitimate patients who rely on opioids to manage their pain and use their medications appropriately. As a result, these individuals may be left with their pain undertreated or untreated. A failure to treat pain appropriately, however, leads not only to unnecessary physical suffering, but also increased disability, lost productivity, depression and anxiety, and even suicide.
Our position
In order to effectively address the opioid epidemic, we must enact balanced reforms that consider the needs of both patients with pain and patients with substance use disorder. Balanced reforms include things like increased access to alternative treatment options (including complementary and integrative medicine and medical marijuana); prescription monitoring programs; abuse-deterrent formularies; increasing public awareness about safe medication disposal; better understanding of risk factors and appropriate screening for substance use disorder; and so on. Read our full position statement.
Reforms must balance the needs of both patients with pain and patients with substance use disorder
Recent examples of U.S. Pain’s efforts
- Advocacy round-up
- CDC meeting outlines process for updating 2016 guidelines
- Congress includes appropriation language about the Pain Management Best Practices report!
- Read U.S. Pain’s comment to the CDC
- Continuing to represent the patient voice–virtually
- Join us as we fight for #aplanforpain!
- CDC announces comment period to inform update of opioid guideline
- Federal appropriations requests submitted
- CO: Let’s improve access to PT, OT, acupuncture, and certain pain medications
- 2020 state pain policy trends round-up
- NY: Two exciting bills would help chronic pain community
- U.S. Pain spearheads joint letter to Congress from 30 patient and professional groups
- Read U.S. Pain’s letter to the FDA
- How should the FDA evaluate new medications for pain?
- U.S. Pain Foundation submits comments to CMS RFI
- CMS holds public meeting on pain and opioids, seeks public comment by Oct. 11
- Cindy Steinbergs speaks about pain at CMS
- Cindy Steinberg to speak at CMS meeting
- Update on the Pain Management Best Practices Task Force
- Do you have two minutes to fight for better pain care?
- The federal report on pain management is finalized. What’s next?
- U.S. Pain representatives take part in federal task force’s final meeting
- Participate in the final meeting of the federal task force on pain
- FDA, CDC react to harm to pain patients
- Pain community unites to respond to federal draft report
- CPATF submits letter on draft report to HHS Secretary Azar; docket letter planned
- One month left to comment on federal recommendations on pain
- Learn about the draft report on pain management
- Help us keep the conversation about pain going at a national level
- Cindy Steinberg to speak at U.S. Senate hearing on pain management
- Webinar now available on new federal guidelines on pain, why they matter and how to weigh in
- Director of State Advocacy speaks on panel about opioids at BIO summit
- HHS Pain Management Best Practices Task Force holds second meeting
- U.S. Pain Foundation awarded project grant from Massage Therapy Foundation
- Two deadlines this month to contact federal government on chronic pain
- Take action on Oregon’s Medicaid proposal
- MA passes landmark legislation that includes help for pain patients
- Tell Congress: Don’t punish people with pain
- Pain warriors unite in speaking out at FDA meeting
- Millions in federal funding earmarked for pain research
- U.S. Pain reps take part in first meeting of major pain task force
- Congress hard at work on major new opioid-related legislation
- Two U.S. Pain representatives nominated to major HHS committees
- Still time to take action to increase federal pain spending
- U.S. Pain outlines recommendations for CMS
- U.S. Pain takes to the Capitol with Headache on the Hill
- Help support a landmark pain research funding bill
- U.S. Pain testifies on key bills in MA
- Denied treatment? This resource can help
- U.S. Pain and 31 organizations speak out against repeal of patient access act
- New coalition calls for balanced aproach to opioids
- Understanding the new CVS opioid policy
- Despite opposition, CMS to replace pain questions on major survey
- A proactive step in fighting the opioid crisis
- Opioid taxation bills raise concerns
- Roundtable discusses benefits of abuse-deterrent formularies
- Take action on proposed changes to pain assessmment survey
- U.S. Pain volunteers take swift action at federal level
- Action needed today on CMS proposal
- VA restricts opioids for veterans and military service members
- CMS publishes new strategy to combat opioid misuse
- Cindy Steinberg featured in The Boston Globe, selected for AAPM honor
- Shaina Smith presents at Summit on Balanced Pain Management
Resources
- AMA Opioid Task Force Progress Report 2019 – American Medical Association
- Pain Management Best Practices Task Force toolkit – U.S. Pain Foundation
- What to do if you’ve been denied pain care – U.S. Pain Foundation
- Addiction vs. Dependence – Health Central
- Opioid Addiction Is a Huge Problem, but Pain Prescriptions Are Not the Cause – Scientific American
- Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain — Misconceptions and Mitigation Strategies – The New England Journal of Medicine
- Lost in Chaos: The State of Chronic Pain in 2016 – PAINS 2016 report