Bills
| 3.23.22

Do Best Practices For Prescribing Opioid Pain Medications Need to be Updated? (H.R. 4641)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 4641?

(Updated October 11, 2018)

This bill would establish a task force to develop best practices for the use of prescription opioids. It would consider research on pain management, existing evidence-based guidelines, high-risk populations at risk of addiction, and instructions issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The task force would consider public comments on the best practices it develops, and would be composed of numerous organizations including:

  • Federal agencies such as the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC, and the National Institutes of Health among others;

  • State medical boards;

  • Physicians, dentists, and nonphysician prescribers;

  • Pharmacists and pharmacies;

  • Experts in the fields of pain research and addiction research;

  • Representatives of the mental health, pain management, and addiction treatment organizations;

  • A person in recovery from addiction to medication prescribed for chronic pain;

  • A person with chronic pain;

  • Other appropriate stakeholders chosen by the HHS Secretary.

The task force would develop a report with all of its findings and suggestions to be submitted to Congress within 270 days of this bill’s enactment, which would include a strategy for getting that information to relevant medical professionals.

Argument in favor

Best practices for prescribing opioid pain medications help save lives from addiction or overdose. It would be beneficial for the medical community, state medical boards, and federal agencies to work together in reviewing and updating them.

Argument opposed

There needs to be a way to ensure that doctors and pharmacists are in compliance with these best practices after they’re published, and this bill doesn’t do anything to that end. Not only that, but they’ll need to be checked or updated regularly.

Impact

People who benefit from the establishment of best practices in prescribing opioid pain medications; participants in the task force; and HHS.

Cost of H.R. 4641

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost $2 million over the 2016-2021 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) introduced this bill to get policy makers, medical professionals, and current or recovering patients to collaboratively develop best practices for prescribing pain medication:

“We lose 78 Americans each day to opioid overdose. We have to act now to stem the tide of opioid abuse in this country, and it starts with giving prescribers, law enforcement, treatment professionals and communities the tools they need to prevent opioid abuse, treat substance abuse and addiction, and prevent illegal drugs from being bought and sold.”

This legislation was passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a voice vote, and is cosponsored by one Democrat and one Republican.



Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user HollywoodPimp)