IOM report highlights need for changes in pain management

Defining pain as "a major public health problem," the Institute of Medicine offered recommendations to make systemic and cultural changes in how pain could either be prevented or managed better.

Modern Healthcare: IOM Urges Changes In Pain Management
Health care providers should tailor pain care to each patient's experience and promote self-management of chronic pain, a condition that affects more than 116 million Americans and costs the U.S. up to $635 billion annually in medical treatment and lost productivity, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Researchers concluded there should be a "cultural transformation" to better prevent, assess, treat and understand pain of all types. At the federal level, HHS should develop a plan that heightens awareness about pain and its consequences, and improves pain assessment and management in the delivery of care and the financing of federal government programs (Zigmond, 6/29).

CQ HealthBeat: IOM: Pain A 'Major Public Health Problem In America'
Medicare, Medicaid, worker's compensation programs and private insurers should find ways to cover interdisciplinary pain management, says a new Institute of Medicine report ordered by the health care law. The study said that each year, 116 million adult Americans suffer from chronic pain and that the economic and medical costs involved total between $560 billion and $635 billion. "Much of this pain is preventable or could be better managed," said an Institute of Medicine (IOM) summary of the report (Reichard, 6/29).