Her group plans to submit its action plan in august.

More >> << 116 million Americans struggle with chronic pain each year, and related medical costs and lost productivity cost the people in the $ 635 billion a year. These are the results of the "relief of pain in America: Blueprint for the conversion of prevention, care, education and research", The Institute of Medicine report of July, the panel, which calls for an aggressive national strategy to combat this problem (

). "This is a conservative estimate of the total economic impact, since it does not include children, soldiers and people in nursing homes or chronic care," said Philip A. Pizzo, MD, chairman of the IOM. "We look at a broad demographic pain."

Report, mandated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, includes 16 recommendations for action. The group said that by the end of 2012 the Ministry of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicaid and medical services to other federal agencies should:

Write a population-level strategy for pain prevention, treatment, management and research. Develop strategies to reduce health insurance, regulatory and other barriers to pain care. Support collaboration between pain specialists and primary care physicians, including referral to pain centers if necessary. Assign a leading institute of the National Institutes of Health responsible for the promotion of pain research. Long-term goals include the cost of coordinated care, pain improving education for physicians and other health professionals, increasing the number of pain specialists, which makes it easier to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of pain treatment. "This is a population problem that must be addressed in the broader nation," said Dr. Pizzo, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California panel assessment of the economic impact of chronic pain is a "mind-blowing," said Mr. Perry, right, MD, president of the American Academy of Medicine of the pain. "This is a number that can not be ignored in its scope and magnitude, and it really requires a large-scale public health," said Dr. Fine, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. Dr. Fine said chronic pain should be addressed on all fronts to efforts similar to those imposed on the health hazards such as smoking and drinking and driving. Peace, Christopher, a member of the Board of the IOM, have formed community initiatives to address chronic pain. Christopher, president of Kansas City, Mo.-based practice center for bioethics, had meetings with representatives of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Cancer Society and other health care providers and advocacy priligy 60mg side effects organizations. Her group plans to submit its action plan in August. "Everyone who worked at the same time wants to make this [IOM] report to sit on a shelf and gather dust," said Christopher. .