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The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress, and was published on Mar 25, 2015.
Veterans Pain Management Improvement Act
Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a Pain Management Board in each Veterans Integrated Service Network.
Requires each Board to provide: (1) recommendations for treatment, on an in-patient or out-patient basis, for patients with complex clinical pain for whom a request has been made by the patient, the patient's physician, spouse, family member, or an individual designated by the patient to make health care decisions or receive health care information for the patient, or an employee of the covered VA facility; and (2) recommendations on best practices regarding pain management in complex clinical pain cases to VA health care professionals located in the Network covered by the Board.
Requires each Board to annually submit to the VA a report on pain management practices carried out in the covered Network.
Directs the VA, by December 1, 2015, to submit to specified congressional committees the approved clinical guideline, handbook, directive, policy, or other guidance established to govern the step-down methodologies employed by clinicians in VA medical facilities to manage the use of opioid therapies and associated prescribing practices.
