Advocacy is one of the three pillars of ASRA Pain Medicine's mission. ASRA Pain Medicine addresses this core purpose by advocating at the regulatory level in the best interest of our members and the patients they serve. (Note: ASRA Pain Medicine does not participate in political advocacy.)
The Latest Health Policy Updates
Protect Medicare Coverage for Peripheral Nerve Blocks
Last year, several Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) released proposed Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) that would eliminate Medicare coverage and payment for certain peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs). This policy would significantly restrict patient access to essential pain management treatments, leaving patients with significant unrelieved chronic or postoperative pain and potentially pushing them to rely on opioids or other less-targeted therapies.
If finalized, this proposal will directly impact medical providers and Medicare patients across five MAC jurisdictions. Join other medical providers in opposing this policy and working together to protect patient access to these important therapies. ASRA Pain Medicine has teamed up with ASA and other members of the Pain Medicine Coalition to fight these proposals.
U.S. Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-7) and Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) are working on a bipartisan congressional letter urging CMS to withdraw the proposed LCDs to preserve patient access to an effective non-opioid treatment option. We need your local member of Congress to join us in urging CMS to halt this ill-advised proposal.
Please ask your representative to join the Pettersen-Tenney congressional sign on letter today.
Please note, you do not need to select “Yes” to join the ASA Grassroots Network. Simply complete the form that appears to submit your letter to your senator. Selecting “No” will still allow you to participate in the campaign.
While the MACs claim PNBs are not medically necessary, we all know that extensive medical research supports the use of PNBs as a safe and effective procedure and an alternative to opioid use to alleviate chronic pain.
Please ask your lawmaker to urge CMS to preserve Medicare coverage of Peripheral Nerve Blocks by withdrawing LCDs that would dramatically restrict patient access to a safe and effective non-opioid treatment for pain.
Read More
Protect Medicare Coverage for Peripheral Nerve Blocks
Last year, several Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) released proposed Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) that would eliminate Medicare coverage and payment for certain peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs). This policy would significantly restrict patient access to essential pain management treatments, leaving patients with significant unrelieved chronic or postoperative pain and potentially pushing them to rely on opioids or other less-targeted therapies.
If finalized, this proposal will directly impact medical providers and Medicare patients across five MAC jurisdictions. Join other medical providers in opposing this policy and working together to protect patient access to these important therapies. ASRA Pain Medicine has teamed up with ASA and other members of the Pain Medicine Coalition to fight these proposals.
U.S. Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-7) and Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) are working on a bipartisan congressional letter urging CMS to withdraw the proposed LCDs to preserve patient access to an effective non-opioid treatment option. We need your local member of Congress to join us in urging CMS to halt this ill-advised proposal.
Please ask your representative to join the Pettersen-Tenney congressional sign on letter today.
Please note, you do not need to select “Yes” to join the ASA Grassroots Network. Simply complete the form that appears to submit your letter to your senator. Selecting “No” will still allow you to participate in the campaign.
While the MACs claim PNBs are not medically necessary, we all know that extensive medical research supports the use of PNBs as a safe and effective procedure and an alternative to opioid use to alleviate chronic pain.
Please ask your lawmaker to urge CMS to preserve Medicare coverage of Peripheral Nerve Blocks by withdrawing LCDs that would dramatically restrict patient access to a safe and effective non-opioid treatment for pain.
Pain Medicine Coalition
ASRA Pain Medicine and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) established the Pain Medicine Coalition (PMC) in 2024 to advance the common goals of the pain medicine community and to advocate for responsible pain care for all patients. The International Pain & Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) are also members of the coalition. Its purpose is to develop, monitor, and advocate for responsible health care policy for people who experience both acute and chronic pain and the physicians who support them. They do their work through clinical care, education addressing quality of care, access to care, public and professional education, and research.
Read more about the Pain Medicine Coalition:
ASA and ASRA Pain Medicine: Speaking With One Voice
President’s Message: The Power of ASRA Pain Medicine Volunteers
Are You a Member of AMA?
The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation's largest physician organization and works to advocate for key issues that matter in your practice such as prior authorization, Medicare reform, promoting physician-led work, and more. ASRA Pain Medicine works with the AMA to advocate for the issues that matter in your practice with representation in the AMA House of Delegates, the Relative Value Scale Update Committee, and the Current Procedural Terminology Committees. ASRA Pain Medicine provides expert information and testimony specific to regional anesthesia and acute and chronic pain.
Learn more about the benefits of membership in AMA.
Read the latest AMA news and sign up for news alerts at ama-assn.org.
Practice Management
Find more health policy information in our Practice Management Resource Center.