The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) is releasing revised recommendations that are responsible, safe, effective, and provide a balanced approach to prescribing opioids for chronic non-cancer pain in order to curtail opioid abuse and at the same time maintain access to the medically needed use of prescription pain medications.

These guidelines are featured in a special issue of Pain Physician journal set to be released on March 1, 2017.   (Available online today at www.painphysicianjournal.com)

The guidelines recommend that opioids be prescribed only after extensive assessment with proper monitoring in only patients with persistent pain in minimally effective doses. This is the latest update since 2013 and includes some of the recommendations from the recently released CDC guidelines.

These guidelines come at a time that we are experiencing an explosive increase in opioid-related deaths, which can be traced to the use of other opioids, specifically heroin and illicit synthetic fentanyl as highlighted nationwide. More recently, an explosive increase in opioid-related deaths can be traced to the use of other opioids, specifically heroin and illicit synthetic fentanyl as highlighted in multiple states. As an example, fentanyl-related deaths spiked to 139 between 2015 and 2016.

The ASIPP opioid guidelines also take into consideration public opinion, wherein a significant proportion of physicians and patients (92%) believe that opioids reduce pain and a smaller proportion (57%) report a better quality of life. 

A multidisciplinary, diverse panel consisting of 60 specialists from across the nation worked to prepare these guidelines, focusing on the means to reduce the abuse and diversion of opioids without jeopardizing access for those patients suffering from non-cancer pain who have an appropriate medical indication for opioid use.

Click HERE to read guidelines

WASHINGTON -- President Trump, during a speech to lawmakers on Tuesday evening, presented a broad outline of how the Affordable Care Act should be replaced -- incorporating many of the reform ideas traditionally offered by Republicans.

"Obamacare is collapsing -- and we must act decisively to protect all Americans," he told a joint session of Congress. "Action is not a choice -- it is a necessity 

MedPage Today

Health insurance reform can and should be fixed.

Obamacare is an overregulated monster of an insurance marketplace reform that violates a basic marketplace rule ­­­­–– it doesn't meet most customers' needs because of its individual mandate and penalties, its limited choices, high deductibles, still high premiums and narrow provider networks.

But there are many parts of it that should be kept and built upon. 

USA Today

The Republicans seem determined to "repeal and replace"Obamacare. They simply cannot bring themselves to consider fixing what they have come to revile.

Being against the president's namesake legislation has been a big winner in at least two out of the past three elections. But now that Republicans are in charge of the Congress, just attacking Obamacare won't work. They have to put something on the table.

However, they need to come up with something better. An effort to repeal and replace Obamacare would be a huge political mistake. There is no issue that presents a worse political minefield than health care. Each and every potential reform means somebody will be losing something and will be very motivated to stop it. 

USA Today