Sec. 735. STUDY ON SAFE OPIOID PRESCRIBING PRACTICES

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## SEC. 735 STUDY ON SAFE OPIOID PRESCRIBING PRACTICES ###

(a)Study The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on the effectiveness of the training provided to military health care providers regarding opioid prescribing practices, initiatives in opioid safety, the use of the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, and other related training. ###

(b)Elements The study under subsection

(a)shall address the effectiveness of training with respect to the following: ####

(1)Identifying and treating individuals with chronic pain. ####

(2)Reducing the total number of prescription opioids dispensed by the Department of Defense to beneficiaries of health care furnished by the Department. ####

(3)Prescribing practices for opioid analgesic therapy, including— #####

(A)reducing average dosage sizes; #####

(B)reducing the average number of dosages; #####

(C)reducing initial and average durations of opioid analgesic therapy; #####

(D)reducing dose escalation when opioid analgesic therapy results in adequate pain reduction; and #####

(E)reducing the average number of prescription opioid analgesics dispensed by the Department of Defense. ####

(4)Reducing the number of overdoses due to prescription opioids for patients with acute pain and patients undergoing opioid therapy for chronic pain. ####

(5)Providing counseling and referrals to treatment alternatives to opioid analgesics. ####

(6)Providing education on the risks of opioid medications to individuals for whom such medications are prescribed, and to their families, with special consideration given to raising awareness among adolescents on such risks. ####

(7)Effectiveness in communicating to military health care providers changes in policies of the Department of Defense regarding opioid safety and prescribing practices. ###

(c)Assessment The Secretary of Defense shall also consider the feasibility and advisability of further strengthening opioid prescribing practices by means of the following: ####

(1)Developing and implementing a physician advisory committee of the Department of Defense regarding education programs for prescribers of opioid analgesics. ####

(2)Developing methods to encourage health care providers of the Department to use physical therapy or alternative methods to treat acute or chronic pain. ####

(3)Developing curricula regarding pain management and safe opioid analgesic prescription practices that incorporate opioid analgesic prescribing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ###

(d)Briefing Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on the results of the study under subsection

(a)and the assessment under subsection (c).