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ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT


Combatting the Opioid Epidemic ASCA joins Voices coalition in support of the NOPAIN Act BY STEVEN SELDE


Opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention (CDC), are the main


driver of drug overdose deaths and


accounted for 47,600 deaths in 2017 alone. Additionally, the CDC estimates that the economic costs associated with prescription opioid misuse exceed $78 billion annually.


ASCs play an important role in inno-


vating healthcare delivery, and ASCA uses its position as an industry leader to give its members tools to stay at the forefront of their practice areas and provide their community with the best possible care. Over the last few years, both the association and federal policy makers have paid particular attention to combatting the opioid epidemic. A variety of ASCA annual con- ference sessions and webinars have focused on the epidemic, best prac- tices related to opioids and the vari- ous options available to practitioners who want to reduce the use of opi- oid-based medications. On the federal level, ASCA supports a comprehensive, national response aimed at resolving the current crisis through a combination of addiction prevention, early intervention and treatment, disease management and recovery support.


In line with the approach ASCA supports, in 2018, Congress passed the Substance Use-Disorder Preven- tion that Promotes Opioid Recov- ery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (P.L. 115-271), which contained sev- eral proposals to combat the epidemic. A key provision of that act directs the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to review and adjust payments under the Medicare Hospi-


24 ASC FOCUS MARCH 2020| ascfocus.org


If enacted, the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act, H.R. 5172, would require the HHS secretary to consider separate reimbursement for drugs and devices that help curtail post-operative opioid use in both ASCs and hospital outpatient departments.”


Resources


Visit ASCA’s Opioids Resource Center at ascassociation.org/opioid


tal Outpatient Prospective Payment System and ASC Payment System to “avoid financial incentives to use opi-


oids instead of non-opioid alterna- tive treatments.” Also in 2018, ASCA supported a regulatory proposal put forth by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would unpackage and pay separately for the cost of non-opioid pain management drugs that function as surgical supplies when they are furnished in the ASC.


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