A pain bill in the Washington (WA) State legislature, SHB 2876, has already passed the House and just this morning passed the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee.  

We fear this pain bill, as written, will have a negative impact on the future care for those who live with chronic pain. We need your help to take action now to assure there is not a decrease in access to appropriate and legitimate pain care for thousands of Washington citizens!

While it is commendable that WA is taking steps to work on chronic pain legislation, this bill is moving through the approval process without appropriate input from the relevant stakeholders. Consequently, this bill could place an undue burden on people living with chronic pain in WA State and on the providers who treat them.

Concerns about this Bill include:

1. It requires that the board repeal all previous bills on pain management in the state as of December 1, 2010. This would remove years of foundational efforts and progress to improve chronic pain management in WA.
2. It requires that the board adopts new dosing criteria on opioid prescriptions, which would MANDATE a consultation by a pain specialist. This is a major challenge for people with pain, as there is shortage of pain specialists, placing the burden of receiving care (difficulty getting appointments, driving long distances, time, expense, etc) on chronic pain patients.
3. It does not indicate who will define a pain specialist or how quickly they can be trained on the new guidelines to be effective in giving appropriate and timely treatment to patients.
4. There are no stipulations for how to handle patients who are already having their pain managed at doses that are higher than that specified by the new dosing criteria or what prescribers will be required to do if the bill is passed.
5. It does not address acute pain, leaving out a huge number of patients who receive a one-time prescription of opioid containing medications that are not used and are therefore subject to diversion.

As stated above, the bill has passed the House and the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee, so we must act quickly. Please help to make sure that any legislation addressing chronic pain management is balanced and protects the rights of patients, doctors, pharmacists and others affected by the complex issues affecting those who live daily with chronic pain.

Click here to read the Bill (PDF)

Click here to take action now!