Update: How the CDC Guidelines Are Impacting Patient Care

On September 16, 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hosted a semi-public webinar where they revealed a draft of their twelve (12) prescribing guidelines for chronic pain. After concerns over the limited amount of participation was raised by the pain community, and following a congressional inquiry, the CDC offered an extended open comment period. In March 2016 the CDC’s final guidelines were released and although voluntary, many states and regulatory authorities have adopted them with little recognition of the limitations stated in the guideline itself. This presentation will examine the impact of the guidelines on patient care, health care providers, and unintentional overdose.