DANGEROUS PILLS Joint Commission standards shouldn't shoulder the blame for the opioid epidemic, the organization says.

The Joint Commission is defending its pain management standards after receiving criticism that its policies are to blame for the current opioid epidemic.

In a statement published earlier this week, officials from the group clarify that their standards for pain management and treatment don't require or specify the use of opioids or any type of drugs.

"In the environment of today's prescription opioid epidemic, everyone is looking for someone to blame," says David Baker, MD, MPH, FACP, executive vice president of healthcare quality evaluation, in the written statement. "Often, The Joint Commission's pain standards take that blame — we are encouraging our critics to look at our exact standards, along with the historical context of our standards, to fully understand what our accredited organizations are required to do with regard to pain."

The statement comes after several leaders of state health departments, professional medical organizations and patient advocacy groups published a letter earlier this month asking the commission to reevaluate its standards in the face of the current opioid epidemic, which has caused a spike in overdose deaths over the last decade.

"The pain-management standards foster dangerous pain control practices, the endpoint of which is often the inappropriate provision of opioids with disastrous adverse consequences for individuals, families and communities," write the letter's authors. "To help stem the opioid addiction epidemic, we request that TJC re-examine these standards immediately."

However, the commission notes that its standards have 3 simple requirements, none of which specify the use of opioids. They include:

1. The hospital educates all licensed independent practitioners on assessing and managing pain
2. The hospital respects the patient's right to pain management
3. The hospital assesses and manages the patient's pain

Instead, commission officials say there are several misconceptions that are pushing the idea that the group is to blame for the epidemic. They clarify that the group does not endorse the idea that pain is a vital sign, or that pain must be treated until the patient's pain score reaches 0. They also note that the rise in opioid prescriptions began around 1997-1998 — well before the commission released their pain management and treatment standards in 2001.

For a complete look at the common misconceptions as well as a review of The Joint Commission's pain management and treatment standards, check out their full statement.

Kendal Gapinski