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H.R.2994, the Pain Care Policy Act of 2008 passed by unanimous vote last night (9/24/08) in the House of Representatives. A Senate Companion Bill was introduced by Senators Hatch and Dodd this summer. Their offices have approved the revised H.R.2994 and will be promoting passage of the identical bill in the Senate this week. We have urged the Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by way of a letter to each of them to support this important healthcare legislation. The Pain Care Policy Act addresses the barriers to proper pain care by improving coordination of pain research, supporting education & training for health care providers and creating a national public awareness campaign.
ASPMN sent a letter to Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire on the issue of intrathecal drug delivery coverage. In Washington State injured workers are often denied coverage by the Department of Labor and Industries to pain therapies involving spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal drug delivery. Washington is the only state in the nation where the state run workers’ compensation program has taken a non-coverage approach. However, injured patients enrolled with the state’s Health Care Authority or Medicaid programs are granted access to this treatment and all major private insurers in the state also provide for coverage. To correct the inequities in coverage we asked that there be standardization and uniformity in these coverage policies amongst Washington State agencies to allow for intrathecal drug delivery to be covered as one of the treatment options.
In June ASPMN signed-on to a letter urging Congress to ensure that the final FY 2009 302b allocations for the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittees reflects at least a $15 billion increase above the FY 2008 level for critically important programs. In July we received information that the Subcommittee did increase the funding as we requested. In August we signed-on to a follow-up letter urging Congress to approve the funding levels included by the Subcommittee in hope that the funding increases continue to be included in the final FY2009 budget.
Purdue Pharma is proud to present the new, In the Face of Pain® Online Advocacy Toolkit, a free interactive resource for the pain advocacy community.
The comprehensive Toolkit provides pain-specific advocacy information and resources covering topics related to legislative, media, community and professional organizations, as well as advocacy through research and access to care. The web site also provides advocates with the ability to research hundreds of current pain-related statistics based on condition, population or issue.
A unique feature of the In the Face of Pain Online Advocacy Toolkit is that it helps advocates create individualized advocacy action plans and educational materials, such as fact sheets or presentations that are tailored to the advocate’s specific area of focus.
The development of the Toolkit is part of Purdue’s continued commitment to serving patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to help alleviate unnecessary suffering by advancing standards of pain care through education and advocacy. The introduction of the Toolkit follows the recent relaunch of Partners Against Pain® www.partnersagainstpain.com, a comprehensive resource that offers a wide range of information about various chronic pain conditions including arthritis, fibromyalgia and cancer; pain measurement and assessment tools; pain policy, legislation and community relations; and links to other relevant web sites.
Below you will find the In the Face of Pain Online Advocacy Toolkit direct web site link. Please feel free to share this information with others and/or include it in your communications with members of your association.
www.inthefaceofpain.com
ASPMN, to ensure that our nation has a sufficient and adequately prepared nursing workforce to provide quality care to all well into the 21st century, has sent a letter to Members of Congress urging them to appropriate at least $200 million in funding for Nursing Workforce Development Programs under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in FY 2009, and requests that they restore the Advanced Education Nursing program (Sec. 811) and fund it at a level on par with the proposed FY 2009 increase for the other Title VIII programs. See letter for further details.
ASPMN, signed on to a letter along with other stakeholders representing the full range of programs of the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Labor urging Congress to ensure that the final FY 2009 302b allocations for the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittees reflects at least a $15 billion increase above the FY 2008 level for these critically important programs. This amount would:
(1) restore cuts of core program funding over the last four years,
(2) more appropriately account for four years of inflation and population growth to maintain service levels and purchasing power; and
(3) return these programs to the FY 2005 level. See letter for further details.
November 14, 2007 -- Veterans Pain Care Act of 2007, S 2160, was passed by the Senate Veteran's Affairs Committee
ANSR Consensus Document
Illinois Nurses Association Position Paper
IMPROVING PAIN MANAGEMENT
DEA Response Statement Docket No. DEA-286P
DEA Consensus Statement Docket No. DEA-287N
Letter to the DEA Docket DEA-261 (pdf)
(DEA’s) withdrawal of the Prescription Pain Medications: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for Health Care Professionals and Law Enforcement Personnel (FAQ)
COALITION FOR PATIENTS' RIGHTS (CPR)
CALLS ON AMA TO CEASE DIVISIVE EFFORTS TO LIMIT PATIENTS’ CHOICE OF PROVIDERS
24 health care organizations* unite to ensure patients a full range of health care provider options and the right to choose among them
Available for Download:
Achieving Balance in State Pain Policy: A Progress Report Card (second edition)
US COURT OF APPEALS DECISION
USA v. Hurwitz
Links
www.thomas.gov
www.dea.gov
www.painfoundation.org
www.painpolicy.wisc.edu
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