Friday, May 6, 2016

Dear Legislators-Stop S.2758 - PROP Act of 2016



An article written by Pat Anson, editor at Pain Network News, PROP Leads New Effort to Silence Pain Patients, prompted me to respond in my comments, and take it a step further by letting my legislators know how I feel. Once posted on my blog, this letter will also be tweeted out to various individuals and shared on my various social media accounts. I hope you will do the same.

You can find contact information, including how to contact your senator, representative, and others on my website at the bottom of the "Advocacy Template Letter".



April, 2016

RE:
H.R.4499
S.2758 - PROP Act of 2016
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove consideration of certain pain-related issues from calculations under the Medicare hospital value-based purchasing  program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.


As an RN who worked her entire career in the hospital setting, writing policies and procedures for staff development and working closely with hospital standards, the Joint Commission, and the American Society of Hospital and Education and Training (ASHET), this Act is deplorable. Surgical pain is clearly not the only pain that needs to be addressed in the hospital setting, though controlling pain improves healing and patient outcome in surgical patients, gets them moving, and prevents things like pneumonia. Pancreatitis, the affects of systemic rheumatologic events, kidney stones, broken bones, burns, and even heart attack are among the hospital patient population requiring pain care.

How would you feel if you were given morphine during a heart attack, which we know improves cardiac output, and you were not reassessed? What if your daughter develops post partum pancreatitis and suffers needlessly? What if you have a kidney stone and you are left to pace the ER with no relief? What happens if a patient’s pain creates an ugly primal instinct that puts hospital staff at risk? You MUST pay attention, because that is exactly what will happen. Hospital policies and procedures are based on what their governing bodies (i.e. CMS and JCAHO) suggest and find important. When outcome is the goal, patients are less likely to be readmitted. There is a very good reason that hospital pain care should be assessed by the patient. Patient suffering to boost PROP, Phoenix House, profit margins is inhumane.

Please support the efforts of Lemeneh Tefera, MD, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and stop the lunacy created by the PROP Act of 2016, S.2758.


Sincerely, Celeste Cooper

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Resources of interest:

S.2758 - PROP Act of 2016
04/07/2016   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Type of Action: Introduction and Referral
Action By: Senate

H.R.4499 - PROP Act of 2016
Sponsor: Rep. Mooney, Alexander X.  [R-WV-2] (Introduced 02/09/2016)
Committees:  House - Ways and Means
Latest Action: 02/11/2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.  (All Actions)

Measurement of the Patient Experience Clarifying Facts, Myths, and Approaches ONLINE FIRST
Lemeneh Tefera, MD, MSc1; William G. Lehrman, PhD2; Patrick Conway, MD, MSc3

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"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."  
Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Health Central Chronic Pain Pro Advocate

Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

Learn more about what you can do to help your body function to its potential in the books you can find here on Celeste's  blog. Subscribe to posts by using the information in the upper right hand corner or use the share buttons to share with others.

All answers and blogs are based on the author's opinions and writing and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

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