Task Force Charge and Purpose
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Chaired and led by Dr. Vanila Singh, the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force) was established by section 101 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 to propose updates to best practices and issue recommendations that address gaps or inconsistencies for managing chronic and acute pain.
The charter for the Task Force was approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on October 24, 2017 and sunset on July 22, 2019. The final Report was published and submitted to Congress on May 30, 2019. |
Task Force Representation
The Task Force consisted of 29 representatives from federal and non-federal organization. Federal members included representatives from:
Non-federal representatives included individuals representing diverse disciplines, such as pain management, anesthesiology, patient advocacy, addiction and recovery, substance-use disorders, mental health, minority health, primary care, special populations, and more. Members also included patients, educators, veteran-service organization representatives, the addiction treatment community, groups with expertise in overdose reversal, and members of medical boards and hospitals.
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health,
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- National Institutes for Health,
- Department of Defense,
- Department of Veterans Affairs,
- Food and Drug Administration,
- White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Non-federal representatives included individuals representing diverse disciplines, such as pain management, anesthesiology, patient advocacy, addiction and recovery, substance-use disorders, mental health, minority health, primary care, special populations, and more. Members also included patients, educators, veteran-service organization representatives, the addiction treatment community, groups with expertise in overdose reversal, and members of medical boards and hospitals.
The Issue of Chronic Pain
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Patients with acute and chronic pain in the United States face a crisis because of significant challenges in obtaining adequate care, resulting in profound physical, emotional, and societal costs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 million adults in the United States have chronic daily pain, with 19.6 million adults experiencing high-impact chronic pain that interferes with daily life or work activities. The cost of pain to our nation is estimated at between $560 billion and $635 billion annually. At the same time, our nation is facing an opioid crisis that, over the past two decades, has resulted in an unprecedented wave of overdose deaths associated with prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids.
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Task Force Report
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Mandated by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016, the Task Force identified gaps, inconsistencies, and updates to provide recommendations for best practices in managing acute and chronic pain. These recommendations were developed and compiled into a final Task Force Report submitted to Congress on May 30, 2019.
Led by the Task Force Chair, the contents of the Report were developed throughout a year-long period that included three public meetings, three public comment periods, over 60 Subcommittee meetings, and over 9000 public comments. The Task Force met with patients, patient advocacy groups, professional medical organizations, educators, and policy makers, to seek feedback from the community in developing a comprehensive and inclusive final Report. The Task Force Report emphasizes the importance of individualized and patient-centered care in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain to improve measurable outcomes such as quality of life (QoL), functionality, and activities of daily living (ADLs). Several clinical and non-clinical topics are address in the Report, as well as the 2016 CDC Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. To read and learn more about the final comprehensive Report, click the button below. |
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Media Coverage
Physician Vanila Singh Heads Up Report on Pain Management and Opioids Crisis Released by Health and Human Services – India West, January 17, 2019
Federal pain management task force emphasizes opioid alternatives – Modern Healthcare, May 30, 2019
HHS Opioid Guidelines Call for Patient-Centered Pain Management – PatientEngagementHIT, June 3, 2019
Best Pain Management Practices Outlined in New HHS Report – Medscape, June 6, 2019
HHS Chief Medical Officer to Pain Community — “We Hear You” – National Pain Report, June 11, 2019
Federal pain management task force emphasizes opioid alternatives – Modern Healthcare, May 30, 2019
HHS Opioid Guidelines Call for Patient-Centered Pain Management – PatientEngagementHIT, June 3, 2019
Best Pain Management Practices Outlined in New HHS Report – Medscape, June 6, 2019
HHS Chief Medical Officer to Pain Community — “We Hear You” – National Pain Report, June 11, 2019
Endorsements
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Professional Medical Organizations (37)
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) American Board of Pain Medicine (ABPM) American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) American College of Physicians (ACP) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) American Dental Association (ADA) American Dental Education Association (ADEA) American Gastroenterological Association American Medical Association (AMA) American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) American Pharmacists Association (APhA) American Psychiatric Association (APA) American Psychological Association (APA) American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) American Society of Hematology (ASH) American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) California Medical Association (CMA) Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Kentucky Society of Anesthesiologists (KSA) National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists (OSA) Physical Medicine Management Alliance (PMMA) Renal Physicians Association Spine Intervention Society (SIS) Tennessee Pain Society Texas Pain Society (TPS) Wisconsin Medical Society (WMS) Professional Organizations (47) Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health (ACIH) Acupuncture Now Foundation (ANF) Alliance for Aging Research Alliance for Patient Access American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) American Alliance of Orthopaedic Executives American Association of Naturopathic Physicians American Association of Nurse Anesthetists American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) American Chiropractic Association (ACA) American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) American Geriatrics Society (AGS) American Health Quality Association (AHQA) American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) American Nurses Association (ANA) American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) American Osteopathic Association (AOA) American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) American Society of Acupuncturists American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS) Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) Healthcare Leadership Council Integrative Health Policy Consortium (IHPC) Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4US) Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices (ICTHP) National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) National Association of Social Workers (NASW) National Association of Specialty Health Organizations (NASHO) National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) National Health Council (NHC) National Safety Council (NSC) New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA) Northeast Ohio Hospital Opioid Consortium Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) Society of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPPCP) Students for Opioid Solutions The Center for Practical Bioethics The Society for Opioid-Free Anesthesia |
Patient Advocacy Organizations (40)
Academy Veterans Transplantation Association Alliance for Balanced Pain Management (AfBPM) American Association of Kidney Patients American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) American Porphyria Foundation (APF) Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Arthritis Foundation (AF) BeMedWise Program at NeedyMeds Brain Injury Association of Virginia (BIAV) California Chronic Care Coalition (CCCC) Center on Addiction Community Chronic Pain Research Alliance Consumer Pain Advocacy Task Force (CPATF) Golden Graine Headache and Migraine Policy Forum (HMPF) Human Rights Watch (HRW) International Pain Foundation Interstitial Cystitis Association Miles for Migraine National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association National Minority Quality Forum National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) Overdose Lifeline Patient Quality of Life Coalition (PQLC) Protecting Access to Pain Relief (PAPR) Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation (RLSF) RetireSafe The Association of Migraine Disorders The Coalition For Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP) The Danielle Byron Henry Foundation The Gerontological Society of America The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders The National Headache Foundation The Pain Community TMJ Association TransplantFirst U.S. Pain Foundation Voices for Non-Opioid Choices (Voices) Will Bright Foundation Hospitals and Health Systems (11) Cleveland Clinic Harris Health System (Hospital) Houston Methodist Hospital MD Anderson Cancer Center Memorial Hermann Health System (Hospital) Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) Texas Children’s Hospital Texas Medical Center Pain Collaborative (TMC) UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital University of Houston University of Texas Poison Centers (4) American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) Central Ohio Poison Center New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center Pittsburgh Poison Center Private Industries (29) Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) American Specialty Health (Health Insurance) AppliedVR, Inc. (VR Technologies) Averitas Pharmaceuticals Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) (Health Insurance) Cigna (Health Insurance) Esteve Pharmaceuticals Evanostics (Diagnostics Test System) FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. (Ultrasound Technology) Heritage Health Solutions (Healthcare and Pharmacy Services) InfuSystem® (Infusion Pumps) Lilly USA (Pharmaceuticals) Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) Medigram (Mobile Health IT) Medtronic (Medical Technology Company) Myoscience (Cryoneurolysis) Neuros Medical (Neuromodulation) Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Pfizer Inc. (Pharmaceuticals) Quest Diagnostics (Healthcare Diagnostics) Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. Semnur Pharmaceuticals Inc. Smiths Medical (Medical Devices) Tivity Health (Health Improvement Company) UnitedHealth Group (Health Insurance) Vertos Medical, Inc. (Interventional Procedures) Wolters Kluwer (Global Information Services) |
