AACIPM 2020 Year-End Review

A Paradigm Shift: Partnering & Aligning to Change Policy & Practice

AACIPM is a leader thoughtfully connecting key stakeholders and influencers towards the paradigm shift we all want to see – person-centered, evidence-based, comprehensive, integrative, integrated, interdisciplinary pain management. 

Our work is where the rubber meets the road.  Our compass is keeping people with pain at the center. Listening closely and intentionally to what is happening among stakeholders and leverage shared priorities is guiding action.

We have adjusted and embraced a new virtual format that has allowed us to reach thousands of people, and build new partnerships to disseminate comprehensive information and resources to support the policy and practice changes needed.

• May, Innovation & Progress in Person-Centered Pain Management. This symposium attracted over 900 registrants, a dozen sponsors, and included 45 esteemed presenters over 2 days.
• September, Equity in Access to Comprehensive Pain Management. This symposium addressed care for the underserved and was in partnership with the US Pain Foundation, a leading pain consumer advocacy organization.
• November, Behavioral Health as Part of Comprehensive Pain Care & Payment Design. This symposium was in partnership with the American Psychological Association and the Midwest Business Group on Health.
• AACIPM is dissemination partner in US for this inaugural pain management series hosted by Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans in collaboration with US VA/DoD

We are working closely with leaders and coalitions who are employers and purchasers of healthcare because they want more information to develop a comprehensive strategy across their supply chains (e.g., medical, dental, behavioral, PBM, EAP).

• Op-ed in Morning Consult, Combatting the Opioid Overdose Crisis and Alleviating Chronic Pain
• Focus Group: March 4, 2020, employers about comprehensive integrative pain management, Midwest Business Group on Health, summary
• Partnerships and Education:
  • Engagement in Pain Symposium Kickstarts Employer Conversation on Advancing Comprehensive Integrative, Evidence-Based Pain Management, Kentuckiana Health Collaborative
  • Partnership with National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
  • Symposium with Midwest Business Group on Health on Behavioral Health as Part of Pain Management Payment Design
• Benefit Design Workgroup, in progress
• Repository Development, in progress

AACIPM is a leader in synthesizing key stakeholders’ work, translating for a wider audience, and disseminating this information.

Innovation and Better Practices Among Payors and Providers

• Example of interdisciplinary care, Madigan, Diane Flynn
• Example of US Veterans Administration Whole Health Initiative pilot, Kavitha Reddy, Ben Kligler, and outcomes.
• Example of large-scale transition from interventional to integrative pain management, West Virginia University
• Value-based care examples – Boeing’s changes, UnitedHealth Group’s policy changes and big data analysis leading to largest network of integrative health professionals
• Reflections from a payor/provider partnership in Vermont, Comprehensive Pain Program

Addressing Underserved and Systemic Inequities Related to Access and Utilization

• Announce release of report from National Governors Association, Expanding Access to Non-Opioid Management of Chronic Pain, Considerations for Governors, and include primary author from NGA in symposium to discuss.
• Pain management at FQHC, Sharad Kohli
• Addressing equity and systemic inequalities as it relates to access and utilization of comprehensive pain care, including Optum data revealing that in some zip codes, there are no licensed acupuncturists, chiropractors, or physical therapists, even when coverage for these services is available.
• ECHO program and pain management, Joanna Katzman

Keeping People with Pain at the Center

• Patient Engagement, Changing the Conversation, American Academy of Family Physicians and Center for Practical Bioethics
• Shared results of US Pain Foundation’s patient survey about access to comprehensive pain care, and connected leaders across patient, provider and payor perspectives to discuss realities.

Payor policy and related implementation

• Announce Medicare determination to cover acupuncture for low back pain in January 2020 The Connector, within 24 hours of the public announcement. Then in Sept. 2020, bring together acupuncture leaders with CMS and others to discuss the practical realties of implementation.
• New CMS codes for spiritual care, Juliana Lesher
• Value-based care examples – Boeing’s changes, UnitedHealth Group’s policy changes and big data analysis leading to largest network of integrative health professionals

Statements to State and Federal Entities

• AACIPM helps to inform and connect leaders in the HHS agencies about what is happening in the real world. tasked with improving pain care, through relationships with CMS, CDC, AHRQ, FDA, SAMHSA, IHS.
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) public comment, July
• Colorado Insurance Commissioner, October
• Information for CMS Listening Sessions
• Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) research protocol on integrated pain management

Interprofessional Awareness to Support Use of all the Evidence-Based Tools in Pain Management

• Yoga Therapy and comprehensive pain management, Matt Taylor
• The Role of Spiritual Care as part of comprehensive pain management, Christina Pulchaski, Bonnie Sakallaris, Juliana Lesher, Matt Taylor, Mindy Wallace, Amy Goldstein, Kevin Galloway
• Interprofessional Education/Awareness plans in progress.

Digital media / Connecting the Dots

• Website – painmanagementalliance.org
• Twitter @aacipm
• LinkedIn @AlliancetoAdvanceComprehensiveIntegrativePainManagement
• Monthly Newsletter (The Connector)
• Connect the Dots Blog