With the opioid epidemic both an ongoing public health crisis and a hot topic extending well beyond the health care industry, Congress continues stepping up to the plate. Case in point: H.R. 5722, the Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act of 2018, one of a number of bills packaged under the MOST (Medicare and Opioid Safe Treatment) Act, legislation designed to fill coverage gaps for individuals at risk for or suffering from opioid use disorder.
In formulating the report, the HHS secretary is required to consult with various health care agencies organizations and providers, including "licensed health care providers who furnish alternative pain management services." The report is also required to include an evaluation of barriers to Medicare recipients receiving nondrug pain management; the "[potential legislative and administrative changes under such title to improve individuals' access to items and services currently covered under such title and used for the treatment of pain, such as cognitive behavioral interventions, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physical medicine, biofeedback therapy, and chiropractic therapy, and other pain treatments services furnished in a hospital or post-acute care setting" [our emphasis in italics]; and a cost / benefit analysis associated with expanding coverage to include non-opioid pain management options.
To learn more about the Medicare and Opioid Safe Treatment Act, and review the stipulations in H.R. 5722 and the other bills packaged under the MOST Act, click here. As of press time, the act is under review by the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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