ACP’s review of performance measures for pain finds measures for acute pain treatment lacking

Paper says a quality measure for acute pain management is needed to reduce use of opioids

PHILADELPHIA Sept. 24, 2024 - A review by the American College of Physicians (ACP) of performance measures designed to evaluate quality of care for those adults suffering from pain found three of six measures relevant to internal medicine physicians to be valid. Quality Indicators for Pain in Adults: A Review of Performance Measures by the American College of Physicians was published today in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Pain is a debilitating symptom generally caused by injuries or various conditions. The goal of managing pain is to relieve or reduce suffering and improve patient functioning. Opioids are sometimes prescribed to manage severe pain, but opioids are associated with the possibility of opioid use disorders and fatal overdose.

The Performance Measurement Committee (PMC) reviewed six performance measures for pain relevant to internal medicine physicians, of which three performance measures were considered valid. The three valid measures assess the overuse of imaging for low back pain and two performance measures that evaluate appropriate use of opioids.

"ACP embraces performance measurement as a means to improve quality of care and believes that a performance measure must be methodologically sound and evidence-based in order to be considered for inclusion in payment, accountability, or reporting programs," said Isaac O. Opole, MBChB, PhD, MACP, president, ACP. "However, there are many performance measures that provide minimal or no value to patient care that have inundated physicians, practices and systems with the administrative burden of collecting and reporting data."

This paper also addresses the gap in acute pain management measures by proposing a quality measure concept that aligns with the ACP and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) clinical guideline.

In January 2020, ACP and AAFP developed the clinical guideline to provide clinical recommendations on nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic management of acute pain.

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About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 172 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 161,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Contact: Andrew Hachadorian, (215) 351-2514, [email protected]

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