[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 127 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4452-S4453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 423. Mr. NELSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by

[[Page S4453]]

him to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 737. STUDY ON SAFE OPIOID PRESCRIBING PRACTICES.

       (a) Study.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study 
     on the effectiveness of the training provided to health care 
     providers of the Department of Defense 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) Prescribing opioid analgesics, including--
       (A) reducing average dosages;
       (B) reducing average number of dosages;
       (C) reducing initial and average durations of opioid 
     analgesic therapy;
       (D) reducing dose escalation when opioid analgesic therapy 
     has resulted in adequate pain reduction; and
       (E) reducing the average number of prescription opioid 
     analgesics dispensed by the Department of Defense.
       (3) Reducing the number of overdoses due to prescription 
     opioids for patients with acute pain and patients undergoing 
     opioid therapy for chronic pain.
       (4) Developing validated opioid dependence screening tools 
     for health care providers of the Department.
       (5) Communicating to health care providers of the 
     Department changes in policies of the Department regarding 
     opioid safety and prescribing practices.
       (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) Providing counseling and referrals for, and expanding 
     access to, treatment alternatives to opioid analgesics.
       (8) Developing and implementing a physician advisory 
     committee of the Department relating to education programs 
     for prescribers of opioid analgesics.
       (9) Developing methods to incentivize health care providers 
     of the Department to use physical therapy or alternative 
     methods to treat acute or chronic pain.
       (10) Developing curricula on pain management and safe 
     opioid analgesic prescribing that incorporates opioid 
     analgesic prescribing guidelines issued by the Centers for 
     Disease Control and Prevention.
       (c) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide to the 
     Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives a briefing on the results of the study 
     conducted under subsection (a).
                                 ______