COST ISSUES RELATED TO PAIN MANAGEMENT - REPORT FROM THE CANCER PAIN PANEL OF THE AGENCY FOR HEALTH-CARE POLICY AND RESEARCH

The clinical problem of unrelieved pain has received much attention ov er the previous decade with a major focus on cancer pain and acute pos toperative pain. Organizations such as the World Health Organization ( WHO), the National Cancer Institute, the American Pain Society (APS), and others have addressed the previously neglected areas of pain asses sment, pharmacologic treatment, and the knowledge and attitudes of hea lth-care providers. Health-policy issues related to pain, including ar eas of cost, access to care, regulatory perspectives and ethical and l egal issues, have likewise been neglected. To explore the costs associ ated with pain, the following framework has been developed through the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) pain panel. This 1 3-point framework is an attempt to isolate specific cost issues, ident ify what is known in these areas, and address implications for future research. A brief synopsis of these 13 areas of cost analysis is provi ded including comments regarding work in progress by the panel and dir ections for future health-policy research related to pain management.