Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force
Recent Release
The Final Report on Best Practices: Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Recommendations
The Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force) was established to propose updates to best practices and issue recommendations that address gaps or inconsistencies for managing chronic and acute pain, The Final Report on Best Practices: Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies and Recommendations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services oversaw this effort with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense.
The Task Force, which was authorized by section 101 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016, also provided the public with an opportunity to comment on any proposed updates and recommendations and developed a strategy for disseminating information about best practices.
The Task Force consisted of representatives from relevant HHS agencies, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Non-federal representatives included individuals representing diverse disciplines and views, including experts in areas related to pain management, pain advocacy, addiction, recovery, substance use disorders, mental health, minority health and more. Members also included patients, representatives from veteran service organizations, the addiction treatment community and groups with expertise in overdose reversal, including first responders, medical boards and hospitals.
The charter for the Task Force was approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on October 24, 2017 and sunset on July 22, 2019.
