Bills
| 3.23.22

Should a Grant Program Help Hospitals & ERs Use Alternatives to Opioids for Pain Management? (H.R. 5197)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 5197?

(Updated January 26, 2021)

This bill — known as the ALTO Act — would require the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a demonstration program for hospitals and emergency rooms to develop alternative protocols for pain management that limit the use of opioids. The grant program would be funded with $10 million annually for fiscal years 2019 through 2021.

HHS would be required to evaluate the program in a report to Congress 120 days after the demonstration program ends that’d also include recommendations for broader implementation of pain management protocols to limit the use of opioids in emergency rooms.

The bill’s full title is the Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency Department Act.

Argument in favor

This commonsense, bipartisan bill would authorize a three year grant program to help hospitals & ERs develop procedures to limit the use of opioids, thereby reducing the number of people who become addicted.

Argument opposed

Hospitals and emergency rooms should implement alternative protocols for limiting the use of opioids for pain management without the help of federal grants.

Impact

People who wouldn’t be prescribed opioids in ERs thanks to ALTO programs; hospitals and emergency rooms; and HHS.

Cost of H.R. 5197

The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost $30 million over the 2019-2023 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) introduced this bill to help hospitals implement programs to limit the use of opioids for pain management in their emergency departments through grants:

“I believe this will be a critical step in fighting the opioid scourge that is devastating communities across my district and the nation. Pioneered at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in my hometown Paterson, New Jersey, their approach has shown dramatic results in keep unnecessary opioids out of patients’ hands. Our legislation would take the St. Joe’s ALTO model nationwide, providing emergency rooms across the country with a blueprint for preventing countless overdoses from happening in the first place.”

Original cosponsor Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) added:

“The opioid epidemic is ravaging rural communities across the nation. Too many families have seen their loved ones fall into a downward spiral after becoming addicted to painkillers, robbing them of their God-given potential. This legislation will help prevent the overprescribing of opioids and expand the development of alternative methods of pain treatment in our hospitals.”

This legislation passed the House Energy & Commerce Committee on a voice vote and has the support of 20 bipartisan cosponsors, including 12 Republicans and eight Democrats.

Of Note: The St. Joe's ALTO program cited by Pascrell reduced opioid usage by nearly 60 percent in its first year alone, while the Colorado Hospital Association's program reduced opioid usage by 36 percent in six months.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: pipatc / iStock)