ASA Applauds Congressional Support for Non-Opioid Pain Treatments

CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists, along with a coalition of pain medicine organizations, applauds the bipartisan group of 25 Congressional leaders for their support of access to non-opioid pain treatments, part of an ongoing fight against the opioid abuse epidemic. In their Congressional letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS), the lawmakers urge the agency not to advance the recently proposed policies that deny coverage of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs), a safe and effective non-opioid pain treatment, to ensure that Medicare continues to cover vital procedures for patients with chronic pain. ASA applauds Rep. Brittany Pettersen and Rep. Claudia Tenney, who led the request to CMS.

“As our nation continues to recover from the ongoing impacts of the opioid abuse epidemic, non-opioid alternatives are a critical component to ensuring pain management and increased quality of life,” said ASA President Patrick Giam, MD. “Anesthesiologists are experts in pain management and we strongly urge CMS to take action to continue access to peripheral nerve blocks and similar procedures.”

The proposals would deny coverage for peripheral nerve blocks and procedures for chronic pain and were put forth by five Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), who determine policy coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. The Pain Medicine Coalition, made up of ASA, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA PM), the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS), and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), strongly oppose the proposals. 

As the lawmakers stated in their letter: “Should non-opioid procedures become unavailable to patients who frequently need pain management treatment, it is possible it could result in a spike in opioid use and misuse. Access to effective treatments, like PNBs, that avoid exposure to addictive opioid drugs are crucial to fighting the opioid epidemic that continues to claim the lives of Americans.”

ASA, the Pain Medicine Coalition, and many others in the pain medicine community have been very vocal regarding their concern for chronic pain patients as a result of these ill-advised policies. ASA has submitted its own formal communication and joined with the many pain societies in the Multisociety Pain Workgroup to send additional communication to the MACs.  Physician leaders and staff from the Pain Medicine Coalition also met with the MACs to emphasize the strong clinical, scientific, and anecdotal evidence that exists to support the use of PNBs for chronic pain and restoring patients’ quality of life. 

ASA joins the lawmakers in urging the MACs not to move forward with these proposals, and withdraw them in response to this overwhelming concern and the harm it would cause to patient care.

About the American Society of Anesthesiologists
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 60,000 members organized to advance the medical practice of anesthesiology and secure its future. ASA is committed to ensuring anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of all patients before, during and after surgery. ASA members also lead the care of critically ill patients in intensive care units, as well as treat pain in both acute and chronic settings.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about how anesthesiologists help ensure patient safety, visit asahq.org/madeforthismoment. Follow ASA on Facebook, X, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.

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