I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4641 

To provide for the establishment of an inter-agency task force to review, 

modify, and update best practices for pain management and prescribing 

pain medication, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2016 

Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana (for herself and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To provide for the establishment of an inter-agency task 

force to review, modify, and update best practices for 

pain management and prescribing pain medication, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. DEVELOPMENT OF BEST PRACTICES FOR THE 

4 USE OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

6 (1) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

7 of Health and Human Services; and 


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1 (2) the term ‘‘task force’’ means the Pain Man2 agement Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force 

3 convened under subsection (b). 

4 (b) INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE.—Not later than 

5 December 14, 2018, the Secretary, in cooperation with the 

6 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Defense, 

7 and the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Adminis8 tration, shall convene a Pain Management Best Practices 

9 Inter-Agency Task Force to review, modify, and update, 

10 as appropriate, best practices for pain management (in11 cluding chronic and acute pain) and prescribing pain 

12 medication. 

13 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The task force shall be comprised 

14 of— 

15 (1) representatives of— 

16 (A) the Department of Health and Human 

17 Services; 

18 (B) the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

19 (C) the Food and Drug Administration; 

20 (D) the Department of Defense; 

21 (E) the Drug Enforcement Administration; 

22 (F) the Centers for Disease Control and 

23 Prevention; 

24 (G) the National Academy of Medicine; 

25 (H) the National Institutes of Health; and 


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1 (I) the Office of National Drug Control 

2 Policy; 

3 (2) physicians, dentists, and nonphysician pre4 scribers; 

5 (3) pharmacists; 

6 (4) experts in the fields of pain research and 

7 addiction research; 

8 (5) representatives of— 

9 (A) pain management professional organi10 zations; 

11 (B) the mental health treatment commu12 nity; 

13 (C) the addiction treatment community; 

14 (D) pain advocacy groups; and 

15 (E) groups with expertise around overdose 

16 reversal; 

17 (6) a person in recovery from addiction to medi18 cation for chronic pain; 

19 (7) a person with chronic pain; and 

20 (8) other stakeholders, as the Secretary deter21 mines appropriate. 

22 (d) DUTIES.—The task force shall— 

23 (1) not later than 180 days after the date on 

24 which the task force is convened under subsection 

25 (b), review, modify, and update, as appropriate, best 


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1 practices for pain management (including chronic 

2 and acute pain) and prescribing pain medication, 

3 taking into consideration— 

4 (A) existing pain management research; 

5 (B) recommendations from relevant con6 ferences and existing relevant evidence-based 

7 guidelines; 

8 (C) ongoing efforts at the State and local 

9 levels and by medical professional organizations 

10 to develop improved pain management strate11 gies, including consideration of the availability 

12 of opioids with abuse deterrent technology as 

13 well as pharmacological and medical device al14 ternatives to opioids to reduce opioid 

15 monotherapy in appropriate cases; 

16 (D) the management of high-risk popu17 lations, other than populations who suffer pain, 

18 who— 

19 (i) may use or be prescribed 

20 benzodiazepines, alcohol, and diverted 

21 opioids; or 

22 (ii) receive opioids in the course of 

23 medical care; and 

24 (E) the Proposed 2016 Guideline for Pre25 scribing Opioids for Chronic Pain issued by the 


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1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (80 

2 Fed. Reg. 77351 (December 14, 2015)) and 

3 any final guidelines issued by the Centers for 

4 Disease Control and Prevention; 

5 (2) solicit and take into consideration public 

6 comment on the practices developed under para7 graph (1), amending such best practices if appro8 priate; and 

9 (3) develop a strategy for disseminating infor10 mation about the best practices developed under 

11 paragraphs (1) and (2) to prescribers, pharmacists, 

12 State medical boards, educational institutions that 

13 educate prescribers and pharmacists, and other par14 ties, as the Secretary determines appropriate. 

15 (e) LIMITATION.—The task force shall not have rule16 making authority. 

17 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 

18 on which the task force is convened under subsection (b), 

19 the task force shall submit to Congress a report that in20 cludes— 

21 (1) the strategy for disseminating best practices 

22 for pain management (including chronic and acute 

23 pain) and prescribing pain medication, as developed 

24 under subsection (d); 


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1 (2) the results of a feasibility study on linking 

2 the best practices described in paragraph (1) to re3 ceiving and renewing registrations under section 

4 303(f) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 

5 823(f)); and 

6 (3) recommendations for effectively applying 

7 the best practices described in paragraph (1) to im8 prove prescribing practices at medical facilities, in9 cluding medical facilities of the Veterans Health Ad10 ministration. 

Æ 


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