AACIPM participated in two back-to-back meetings in DC this week with key stakeholders focused on policy solutions that promote individualized, multimodal, comprehensive, person-centered, integrative pain care. On December 4, the Alliance for Balanced Pain Management held its 6th summit which included important discussions, including implementation of the HHS Pain Management Best Practices Task Force report and examples of patient-centered pain management. Also convening was the Voices for Non-Opioid Choices initiative, focusing on acute pain and the range of evidence-based options available. The Voices Summit included visits to the Hill and a day-long agenda bringing stakeholders together who share interest in promoting evidence-based non-opioid options for acute pain management. Some takeaways—our voices do change policies; earlier access to treatment is key; we must implement HHS best practices pain management task force report recommendations; increasing awareness/education about what comprehensive pain care looks like is of highest priority. These efforts—and so many more—make a difference together. Connecting the dots in these efforts—shifting the focus on healthcare for subacute, acute and chronic pain—to be prevention-minded and focused on total health and well-being for the individual over their lifetime—requires a village of voices.
