2020 Maine Session Summary
Victory in the fight against cancer requires bold new public policies that promote cancer prevention, early detection of cancer, and expand access to quality, affordable health care.
News
June 4, 2013 - How KY Scored on Pain Management Report Card
June 5, 2013
New Report: Kentucky Needs Improvement in Enacting Pain Management Policies for Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
Nationwide, Most States Have Improved Pain Policies Since 2008
[Frankfort, KY] - [June 4, 2013] - Kentucky needs improvement in enacting policies that enhance the delivery of effective pain management for patients battling a chronic disease such as cancer, according to a new report issued today by leading researchers and patient advocacy groups. The report gave Kentucky a letter grade of "B+" in measuring the quality and balance of its policies to make pain treatment available to patients. Nationwide, the report showed that states have made considerable progress over the last decade in implementing balanced policies that increase access to effective pain medications and establish a system to mitigate drug abuse.
The report, Achieving Balance in State Pain Policy: A Progress Report Card evaluates state policies to improve pain management and patient care. It was prepared by the University of Wisconsin Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG) and jointly funded the American Cancer Society, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and LIVESTRONG Foundation.
"Kentucky is showing encouraging improvement in implementing sensible policies that make the treatment of pain available to people with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Through effective regulations we can continue to address the serious problem of untreated and poorly treated pain and, at the same time, establish a system to mitigate drug abuse," says James Sharp, Kentucky Government Relations Director for ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. "Now, more than ever, state regulations are defining ways for health care facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes and hospices, to make pain assessment and treatment an expected element of patient care."
PPSG researchers evaluated whether state pain policies and regulations enhance or impede pain management. The report assigns each state a grade from 'A' to 'F' that reflects the quality of its pain policy. PPSG also evaluated state pain policies in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 to determine what changes have been made over time. According to the findings, the Commonwealth showed a positive change, in effective pain policies over that time period.
Nationwide, the 2013 report found continued improvement in state pain management policies over the past decade. A total of 41 states changed or adopted new policies to improve access to effective pain management between 2008 and 2012. The policy improvement was largely a result of state health care regulatory boards adopting policies to encourage appropriate pain management, and state legislatures repealing restrictive or ambiguous policy language.
"Enacting strong pain policy is only the first step - patients want assurance that pain treatments reach the bedside," says Sharp. "Health care providers, facilities, regulators, and patient advocates each have a role to play to promote effective pain control policy and practices."
Pain is the most common reason Americans access the health care system, and it is the leading contributor to health care costs. Most painful conditions can be relieved with proper treatment, yet patients often face significant barriers that can prevent proper assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of pain. Untreated pain can devastate a person's quality of life, affecting all aspects of daily functioning, including sleep, work and relationships.
While there are several effective medications and non-drug therapies available for pain treatment, opioid pain medications are often the best treatment for managing serious, persistent pain. But health professionals can be reluctant to prescribe such medications because of the risk of violating laws aimed at preventing trafficking and abuse of controlled substances. Such policies can unduly restrict healthcare decision-making, contradict current medical knowledge, and fail to communicate appropriate messages about pain management and using pain medications.
About the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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