Conquering Pain Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-999
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2005-05-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Administrative procedure
Armed Forces and National Security
Chronically ill
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Conferences
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Continuing education
Crime and Law Enforcement
Drug abuse
Drug law enforcement
Drug therapy
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic government information
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to child health services
Federal aid to health facilities
Federal employees
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government employees' health insurance
Government publicity
Health counseling
Health education
Health insurance
Health maintenance organizations
Higher education
Home care services
Housing and Community Development
Indian medical care
Internet
Law
Managed care
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medical education
Medical personnel
Medical research
Medical residents
Medicare
Mental health services
Military dependents
Military medicine
Minorities
Nursing homes
Opium
Pain
Performance measurement
Physicians
Poor children
Psychotherapy
Quality of care
Research grants
Rural health
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
State laws
Telemedicine
Terminal care
Terminally ill
Urban affairs
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2005-05-11
text: 
Conquering Pain Act of 2005 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to develop an Internet website on evidence-based practice guidelines for pain treatment. 
 
Requires the administrators of Federal health programs to inform individuals that they should expect effective pain and system relief under such programs. 
Directs the Secretary to provide funds for special education projects to improve pain and symptom management. 
Amends Title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require that Medicare+Choice programs' coverage of pain and symptom management and performance evaluation of such management be disseminated to Medicare beneficiaries. 
Requires the Surgeon General to report on the state of pain and symptom management in the United States. 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Public Health Service, to award grants to establish National Family Support Networks in Pain and Symptom Management. 
Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPac) to report on financial, policy, and reimbursement barriers to providing pain and symptom management and palliative care. 
Requires the General Accounting Office (GAO) to survey health insurance providers to determine whether reimbursement policies inhibit access to pain and symptom management. 
Directs the Secretary: (1) to establish the Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management; (2) acting through the Institute of Medicine, to report on the effects of controlled substance regulation and other barriers to patient access to effective care; (3) acting through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to convene a national conference to discuss the translation of pain research into the delivery of health services; and (4) acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to provide for demonstration projects on pain and symptom management training.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-05-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4941-4944)
action_date: 2005-05-11
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4940-4941)
action_date: 2005-05-11
text: Introduced in Senate