Here are five things to know about the issue.
1. The group includes senior health officials from Pennsylvania, Vermont, Alaska and Rhode Island.
2. The group believes current standards for pain treatment are too aggressive and contribute to abuse of addictive painkillers, so they are calling for new guidelines, according to the report.
3. Senior health officials outline their concerns in a letter sent April 13 to CMS. In the letter, the group urges the federal government to stop asking patients about how well their pain was controlled while hospitalized, information CMS uses to help judge hospital performance and determine payment, according to the report. The group contends the pain questions “have had the unintended consequence of encouraging aggressive opioid use” because hospitals want high scores on the surveys.
4. CMS plans to respond to the letter. CMS also noted that HHS has said it would look at how patient satisfaction surveys influence pain treatment and opioid prescribing, according to The Wall Street Journal.
5. According to the report, senior health officials and physicians have also sent a letter to the Joint Commission, asking the organization to “re-examine” the pain management standards it requires its accredited institutions to adhere to.
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