MNSAM Raises Concerns with Bill to Reform Pain Prescribing Criteria

On January 26th, the Minnesota Society of Addiction Medicine (MNSAM) sent a letter to Representative Robert Bierman outlining concerns with his bill: HF 1851. This legislation would reform the criteria for treating intractable pain with prescription opioids, including revising the definition of what constitutes intractable pain and palliative care.

In the letter, MNSAM praised Representative Bierman’s commitment to enhancing the quality of treatment available to patients with chronic pain. However, MNSAM expressed concern that HF 1851’s changes to the intractable pain treatment criteria could have unintended consequences. For instance, the revised criteria allow opioids to be prescribed for “perceived pain” without a confirmed diagnosis. MNSAM identified how this standard runs counter to medical best practice which advises that pharmacological treatment only be initiated after diagnosis of pain etiology and thorough evaluation of other treatment options. Additionally, HF 1851 places higher standards on tapering medication. MNSAM highlighted how these standards complicate the tapering process, reducing practitioner discretion to oversee changes in medication dosages. To conclude the letter, MNSAM offered to work with Representative Bierman to mitigate the bill’s potential risks, while preserving its aim to better serve patients with chronic pain.

Read the letter here.