From the community: Dr. Prunskis and Team Complete Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Task Force Report

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force) concluded their yearlong session with a final meeting last Friday prior to submitting their final report to Congress.
John V. Prunskis, MD, Medical Director of Illinois Pain Institute and Presidential Appointee/ Member of the HHS Pain Task Force said: “It was an honor to serve on the Task Force. I was selected because of the more than 25-year success that the Illinois Pain Institute has demonstrated in the precise diagnosis and treatment of painful conditions while judiciously using opioid pain management medication. I spent many more hours than I thought I would helping develop these guidelines and recommendations. Significant discussion and sometimes compromise occurred. The final report will be the most comprehensive product of its kind regarding the suggestions and recommendations for the overall care for patients with painful conditions.”

Mandated by the White House and Congress as a result of The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016, the Task Force first convened in April of 2018. The mission of the Task Force: To identify solutions and recommendations for gaps and inconsistencies in the current treatment of painful conditions.

Comprised of 29 government and non-government experts in the disciplines of pain management, patient advocacy, substance use disorders, mental health and minority health, the Task Force has focused on outlining the best practices in the treatment of acute and chronic pain in light of the ongoing opioid crisis.

Currently patients with painful conditions face many challenges when seeking treatment including: the lack of adequate care and stigma. At the same time the CDC estimates that 50 million adults in the U.S. have chronic daily pain and 19 million of those adults experience pain that interferes with daily life or work.

The HHS Task Force has emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to treating pain and “individualized patient-center care in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain care”. – HHS Pain Management Best Practices Draft Report April 2019

Also outlined in the report of findings are the following 5 items that play key roles in achieving excellence in pain care: medications, restorative therapies: physical or occupational therapy, interventional approaches including: minimally invasive procedures, behavioral health support for patients with painful conditions, as well as, complementary and Integrative Health: massage, acupuncture, yoga.

The Task Force findings will be used as a guideline for the treatment of patients with painful conditions and outlines steps toward ending the current opioid crisis.

Dr. Prunskis was the only physician selected from Illinois to serve on the Task Force. As Medical Director of Illinois Pain Institute and nine-time Top Doctor Chicago award winner, Dr. Prunskis and his team work to provide patients with precise diagnosis and treatment of painful conditions. By focusing on fixing the problem that is causing pain and not simply masking the symptoms with medications, patients are able to regain much of their normal lifestyle.

For additional information about John V. Prunskis, MD and Illinois Pain Institute visit our website at illinoispain.com

This item was posted by a community contributor. To read more about community contributors, click here