SUMMARY

Title I: Emergency Response to the Public Health Crisis of Pain

Section 101: Access to Guidelines

Requires the Agency for Health Research and Quality to develop and maintain an Internet site to provide information to individuals, health care practitioners and health facilities concerning evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of physical and psychological pain. Web sites already in existence may be used if they meet the criterion of being designed for quick reference by health care practitioners and are updated as scientific data warrants.

Requires that health care facilities have the web site available to all health care personnel and ensure that patients, caregivers and support groups have access as well.

Section 102: Patient Expectation to Have Pain and Symptom Management

Requires that Medicare, Medicaid and other health programs administered through the Department of Health and Human Services, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, inform individuals that they should expect to have their pain managed.

Section 103: Quality Improvement Education Projects

Directs Health Human Services (HHS) to fund special education projects carried out by peer review organizations to improve the quality of pain and symptom management services.

Section 104: Pain Coverage Quality Evaluation and Information

Requires that information concerning access to and quality of pain and symptom management in Medicare+Choice plans is posted in a comparable manner on the Health Care Financing Administration's web site at www.medicare.gov.

Section 105: Surgeon General's Report

Mandates a report by the Surgeon General on the state of pain and symptom management in the United States.

Establishes six National Family Support Networks in Pain and Symptom Management for three years. Authorizes appropriations of $18 million for three years. The networks are to:

(1) develop an integrated interdisciplinary approach that includes psychological and counseling services;

(2) provide community leadership in expanding public access to pain care;

(3) provide assistance through caregiver support services;

(4) develop a research agenda to promote effective pain and symptom management;

(5) provide coordination and linkages within communities to assist in providing information about to access options for pain management and support services;

(6) establish telemedicine links to provide education and for the delivery of services in pain and symptom management; and

(7) develop effective means of providing assistance to providers and families to assist patients in pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

 

 

Title III: Reimbursement Barriers

Section 301: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Report

Requires Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to study and report on:

(1) whether Medicare policies may limit pain and symptom management and palliative care services;

(2) Medicare and Medicaid financial barriers to continuity of care;

(3) reimbursement barriers in providing pain and symptom management through hospice care;

(4) whether the Medicare reimbursement system provides incentives to delay informing terminally ill patients of hospice and palliative care; and

(5) the impact of providing payments for drug therapy management services in pain and symptom management and palliative care.

Requires the General Accounting Office to survey public and private health insurance providers and report on whether insurers' reimbursement policies inhibit patient access to pain management and symptom management.

Title IV: Improving Federal Coordination of Policy, Research and Information

Section 401: Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management

Creates an Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management within HHS to develop recommendations to create a coordinated federal agenda on pain and symptom management.

Section 402: Institute of Medicine Review of Regulation of Pain Medications

Requests the Institute of Medicine to review and report on:

(1) the effects of controlled substance regulation to effective care;

(2) factors that may contribute to the under use of pain medications; and

(3) State legal and regulatory barriers that may impact patient access to medication for pain and symptom management.

Section 403: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Conference

Requires NIH to hold a national conference to discuss the translation of pain research into delivery of health services including mental health services to patients in pain.

Requires Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA) to conduct demonstration projects to determine effective methods to measure improvement in the skills, knowledge and attitudes of health care personnel in pain and symptom management.

Section 502: End of Life Care Demonstration Projects

Requires HHS to conduct demonstration projects that implement care models for individual at the end of life, at least one of which shall be developed to assist individuals who are terminally ill and have no family or extended support.

Requires HRSA to conduct activities to assist in the education and training of clinicians in end-of-life care and in the development and distribution of accurate educational materials on pain and symptom management and end-of-life care.

June 2001

Back to Top^