There has been almost 1600 comments on this… many of them from the anti-opiate groups.. who can’t believe that anyone else pain would be greater than their pain from losing a loved from having the mental health disease of addictive personality disorder and they have OD’d or committed suicide using opiates and/or some other substances. Here is the link to make comments … the “clock” is tickin’ http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=CDC-2015-0112-0001
CDC Delays Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
http://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2015/12/11/cdc-delays-opioid-prescribing-guidelines
Faced with the threat of lawsuits and growing ridicule from patients, physicians and other federal agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has apparently decided to delay for several months plans to implement its controversial opioid prescribing guidelines for chronic pain.
Today the agency filed a formal notice in the federal registry that it was opening a 30-day public comment period on the guidelines, which had been scheduled for adoption in January. The guidelines would discourage primary care physicians from prescribing opioid pain medication in an effort to end what has been called an “epidemic” of addiction and overdoses.
“In response to feedback, CDC is posting its draft opioid prescribing guideline for chronic pain in the Federal Register for 30 days of public comment. In addition, in early 2016 the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), a federal advisory committee, will review the draft guideline. CDC will ask the BSC to form a workgroup to review the guideline and public comments and present recommendations to the BSC,” the CDC said in a statement to Pain News Network.
The public comment period will run from December 14th until January 13, 2016.
The CDC unveiled the guidelines in September to a select online audience and then only allowed a 48-hour public comment period. The agency was roundly criticized for its secrecy during the drafting of the guidelines and for consulting with special interest groups, but few pain patients or pain physicians. The agency never made the guidelines available on its website or in any public form outside of the webinar.
A spokesperson told PNN the guidelines will finally become available for public scrutiny on Monday when they are published in the federal registry.
A list of the dozen draft guidelines that were released in September can be found here. They recommend “non-pharmacological therapy” as the “preferred” treatment for non-cancer pain, and state that limited quantities and doses of opioids should be prescribed for both acute and chronic pain.
The CDC later said the guidelines were being revised, without giving any detail.
Last week, a key government panel that oversees pain research indicated it would file a formal objection to the guidelines. Politico reported that the National Institute of Health’s Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee believes there is little or no evidence to support many of the prescribing guidelines. Some committee members reportedly called the agency’s recommendations “ridiculous” and “an embarrassment to the government” during a meeting.
Evidence cited to support the guidelines “is low to very low and that’s a problem,” Sharon Hertz, a top FDA official was quoted as saying.
Another top official in the Department of Health and Human Services told the research committee the CDC’s guidelines were “shortsighted” and there was a rush to judgement.
“You know, damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead,” said Wanda Jones, principal deputy assistant secretary for health at HHS.
The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) also signaled it was prepared to file a lawsuit to stop the guidelines from being implemented, accusing the CDC of “blatant violations” of federal law for not holding public hearings and refusing to publicly identify members of its advisory committees.
“The overly secretive manner in which CDC has been developing the Guideline serves the interests of neither the healthcare community nor consumers,” wrote WLF chief counsel Richard Samp to CDC director Tom Frieden.
In a survey of over 2,000 patients by Pain News Network and the Power of Pain Foundation, over 90% said the guidelines were discriminatory and would be more harmful than helpful to pain patients. Most said they had already tried non-opioid treatments, such as massage, acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy, and found that they didn’t work or were not covered by insurance. Many predicted the guidelines would lead to more suicides in the pain community, and cause more addiction and overdoses, not less.
Filed under: General Problems
I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve heard of creative grant writing, but this is ridiculous. I’m sure that the CDC got involved in this because of some meeting where it was asked what the CDC input was on this alleged opioid abuse “epidemic”. The thought was, “Hey, this is a prime opportunity to get some more slop, aka tax dollars, out of the public trough for our agency, the CDC.” Why all the super-secrecy is beyond me. I am sure that the ever present motivations of government, more money and more power, ultimately drive this.
As I was typing this, one unintended consequence scenario occurred to me. My PCP also manages my chronic pain. He is a board certified pain management specialist and has been since the 1990’s. He has the education, experience and is recognized by the Medical Board in our state as a certified pain management specialist, he has those magical letters behind his name that our expertocracy-driven society deems necessary to be able to perform certain functions. Yet, because his primary designation for the hospital corporation that he works for is as a GP, his CMS “designation” is as a GP and the various and sundry Health Insurance companies have him in their systems as a GP, he will end up as a target in the sights of some government enforcer-type doughnut furnace because all they will see is his GP designation in all the data bases. When the Imperial Storm Troopers come knocking at his door, will the board designated specialist certifications hold them at bay and make them go away? Maybe. It will all depend on the literacy level of the thug-in-charge of that particular Brute Squad.
Wow I could not have written it better myself. Imperial stormtroopers that’s exactly what they are.
Tennessee began this effective August 1st. My situation is literally “killing” me! Going on 5 years this Christmas I will have been in ” Chronic Pain & Chronic Overlapping You Name It” ~ After being forced into becoming my own health care Advocate, due to lack of understanding from providers. I have had to fire my Neuro, am on Dr. #4, fired Rheumy, Fired 1 General Surgeon. In the midst of all this, I of course contacted Blue Cross TN to request (in writing) a Chronic Care Manager that had the authority to help and speak on my behalf because I was not getting the care and testing I felt I needed for my situation. The Dr.’s were treating my labs, not ME, and that in addition to my extensive Muscoskeletal issues, I have tons of overlapping auto-immune issues as well and because I am in the 30% that tests sero-negative they put me on back burner. My body is dying a slow, tortorous death! It didn’t take long for them to get me a case manager, but honestly I haven’t had much luck as she doesn’t handle anything with meds. I went in for my Adderall refill in August and for the 1st time ever.. REJECTED!! No warning letter No Tapering Nadda! Are you Crazy???? Immediately filed an appeal, you don’t do that!!!
Anyway** Hoping / Praying I can find a Dr. That can diagnose Cardiac Adrenal Pain Syndrome ~ Before it’s too late
Tennessee is already implementing “the plan!” Reductions in dosages all around for EVERYBODY, unless you have terminal cancer! I suppose they (the doctors or bureaucrats) don’t realize that people can die of other diseases!
I read it what a joke. I posted a plan of my own. Hope it helps. They have no clue.Might have insulted the unemployed didn’t mean to really didn’t finish my point so sorry if i insulted anyone!