[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40303-40304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17446]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Meeting of the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task 
Force

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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[[Page 40304]]

SUMMARY: As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is hereby giving notice 
that a meeting is scheduled to be held for the Pain Management Best 
Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Task Force). The meeting will be 
open to the public; public comment sessions will be held during the 
meeting.

DATES: The Task Force meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 25, 
2018, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and Wednesday, 
September 26, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET. The agenda will be 
posted on the Task Force website at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/pain/index.html.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. 
Humphrey Building, Great Hall, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 
DC 20201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alicia Richmond Scott, Designated 
Federal Officer, Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task 
Force, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Room 736E, 
Washington, DC 20201. Phone: 240-453-2816. Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 101 of the Comprehensive Addiction 
and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA) requires the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, in cooperation with the Secretaries of Defense and 
Veterans Affairs, to convene the Task Force no later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of CARA and develop a report to 
Congress with updates on best practices and recommendations on 
addressing gaps or inconsistencies for pain management, including 
chronic and acute pain. The Task Force is governed by the provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92-463, as 
amended (5 U.S.C. App), which sets forth standards for the formation 
and use of advisory committees.
    The Task Force will review clinical guidelines and identify gaps 
and/or inconsistencies for best practices for pain management, 
including chronic and acute pain, developed or adopted by federal 
agencies; propose updates to best practices and recommendations for 
identified gaps or inconsistencies; provide a 90 day the public comment 
period on any proposed updates and recommendations; and develop a 
strategy for disseminating such proposed updates and recommendations to 
relevant federal agencies and the general public.
    The Task Force will convene its second public meeting, on September 
25 and 26, 2018, to discuss updates to existing best practices and 
recommendations based on gaps and inconsistencies for pain management, 
including chronic and acute pain. The Task Force will receive 
presentations from three Task Force subcommittees established at the 
inaugural Task Force meeting. The Task Force subcommittees will discuss 
recommendations for updates to best practices and recommendations for 
chronic and acute pain management and prescribing pain medication based 
on the components outlined in Section 101 of the CARA statute. The Task 
Force will deliberate and vote on the draft Task Force recommendations. 
Information about the final meeting agenda will be posted prior to the 
meeting on the Task Force website: https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisorycommittees/pain/index.html.
    Members of the public are invited to participate in person or by 
webcast. To join the meeting, individuals must pre-register at the Task 
Force website at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/pain/index.html. Seating will be provided first to those who have pre-
registered. Anyone who has not pre-registered will be accommodated on a 
first come, first served basis if additional seats are available 10 
minutes before the meeting starts. Individuals who need special 
assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable 
accommodations, should indicate the special accommodation when 
registering online or by notifying the Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health via email at [email protected] by September 
21, 2018. The subject line of the email should read, ``Task Force 
Meeting Accommodations.'' Non-U.S. citizens who plan to attend in 
person are required to provide additional information and must notify 
the Task Force staff via email at [email protected] 10 business 
days before the meeting, September 11, 2018. For those unable to attend 
in person, a live webcast will be available. More information on 
registration and accessing the webcast can be found at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/pain/index.html.
    Members of the public can provide oral comments at the Task Force 
meeting on September 25, 2018, at 9:20 a.m.-9:50 a.m. ET. Please 
indicate your willingness to provide oral comments on the registration 
form which can be found at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/pain/index.html. Individuals who pre-register will be given priority to 
provide oral public comment within the order they are received. The 
public comment period will not be extended beyond the allotted time on 
the agenda. Public comments made during the meeting will be limited to 
three minutes per person to ensure time is allotted for all those 
wishing to speak. Please note that the public comment period may end 
before the time indicated, following the last call for comments. 
Individuals who are not able to provide oral comments are encouraged to 
submit their written comments. Written comments should not exceed one 
page in length. Individuals submitting written comments should submit 
their comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, docket number HHS-OS-2018-0016.

    Dated: August 9, 2018.
Vanila M. Singh,
Chief Medical Officer, Chair, Pain Management Task Force, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2018-17446 Filed 8-13-18; 8:45 am]
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