,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #beaf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #g1 #bjah,mr4 ,booker 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 and ,mr4 ,gardner7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to conduct a demonstration program to test alternative pain management protocols to limit the use of opioids in emergency departments4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,alternatives to ,opioids 7,,alto7 in the ,emergency ,department ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,opioids contributed to the deaths of more than #db1jjj people in #bjaf1 more than any year on official record4 ,forty percent of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid4 7#b7 ,the economic burden of prescription opioid misuse in the ,united ,states is estimated to be #gh1ejj1jjj1jjj per year4 ,this includes costs stemming from health care1 including addiction treatment1 lost productivity1 and criminal justice involvement4 7#c7 ,over #bjj million opioid prescriptions are written in the ,united ,states each year1 and #b1jjj1jjj ,americans have the symptoms of substance use disorder4 7#d7 ,approximately #ba to #bi percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them4 7#e7 ,emergency departments in several ,states1 including in ,new ,jersey and ,colorado1 have developed innovative programs to more widely utilize non-opioid pain treatments to reduce the use of opioids4 #c4 ,emergency department alternatives to opioids demonstration program 7a7 ,demonstration program grants ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary7 shall carry out a #c-year demonstration program under which the ,secretary shall award grants to eligible hospitals and emergency departments1 including freestanding emergency departments1 to develop1 implement1 enhance1 or study alternative pain management protocols and treatments that promote the appropriate limited use of opioids in emergency departments4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a71 a hospital or emergency department shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7c7 ,geographic diversity ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall seek to ensure geographical diversity among grant recipients4 7d7 ,use of funds ,in addition to the activities described in subsection 7a71 grants under this section shall be used to-- 7#a7 target common painful conditions1 which may include renal colic1 sciatica1 headaches1 musculoskeletal pain1 and extremity fractures2 7#b7 train providers and other hospital personnel on protocols and use of treatments that promote the appropriate limited use of opioids in the emergency department2 7#c7 collect data1 including data required for the reporting requirement established under subsection 7f72 and 7#d7 provide alternatives to opioids to patients with painful conditions1 not including patients who present with pain related to cancer1 end-of-life symptom palliation1 or complex multisystem trauma4 7e7 ,duties of the secretary ,the ,secretary shall offer to each recipient of a grant under subsection 7a7 technical support through a process that provides for-- 7#a7 the provision of information by the ,secretary on alternative pain management protocols and treatments1 which may include-- 7,a7 non-opioid medications2 7,b7 protocols and treatments that do not involve a medication2 7,c7 alternative pain management protocols and treatments that are appropriate to use for specific common painful conditions1 such as renal colic1 back pain1 pain from fractures1 and other common painful conditions that present to the emergency department2 7,d7 the alternative pain management protocol or treatments1 if any1 that are appropriate for certain patient populations1 such as geriatric patients1 pregnant patients1 and pediatric patients2 and 7,e7 any other information the ,secretary determines necessary2 and 7#b7 the provision of information by emergency departments and providers that have successfully implemented alternatives to opioids programs in the emergency department1 promoting non-opioid protocols and medications while appropriately limiting the use of opioids4 7f7 ,report to the secretary ,each recipient of a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary annual evaluations of the progress of the program funded through the grant4 ,these evaluations shall include-- 7#a7 a description of and specific information about the alternative pain management protocols and treatments employed2 7#b7 data on the alternative pain management protocols and treatments employed1 including-- 7,a7 during a baseline period before the program began1 as defined by the ,secretary2 7,b7 at various stages of the program1 as determined by the ,secretary2 7,c7 the conditions for which the alternative pain management protocols and treatments were employed2 and 7,d7 data on patients' self-reported pain rating1 using a pain scale model provided by the ,secretary1 before and after the alternative pain management protocol or treatment was provided2 7#c7 data on the opioid prescriptions written1 including-- 7,a7 during a baseline period before the program began1 as defined by the ,secretary2 7,b7 at various stages of the program1 as determined by the ,secretary2 7,c7 the conditions for which the opioids were prescribed2 and 7,d7 data on patients' self-reported pain rating1 using a pain scale model provided by the ,secretary1 before and after the opioid prescription was provided2 7#d7 the demographic characteristics of patients who were treated with an alternative pain management protocol1 including age1 sex1 race1 ethnicity1 and insurance status and type2 7#e7 data on patients who were eventually prescribed opioids after alternative pain management protocols and treatments were employed2 7#f7 data on patients who were transitioned to inpatient care following treatment with an alternative pain management protocol and treatment2 and 7#g7 any other information the ,secretary deems necessary4 7g7 ,report to congress ,not later than #abj days after completion of the demonstration program under this section1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to the ,congress on the results of the demonstration program and include in the report-- 7#a7 the number of applications received and the number funded2 7#b7 a summary of the evaluations described in subsection 7f71 including standardized data2 and 7#c7 recommendations for broader implementation of pain management protocols that limit the use of opioids in emergency departments or other areas of the health care delivery system4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjba4