Assessments of a health-related matter of interest, importance, or worry to a patient, patient’s family, or patient’s healthcare provider that could identify a need, problem, or condition.
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Pain Assessment
Description
An assessment of a person’s pain, which could include assessment of acute and chronic pain using standardized assessment tools.
Assessments of pain include but not limited to pain severity, interference of pain on activity, and pain impact on mood or sleep using unidimensional or multidimensional assessment tools.
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Submitted by rdillaire on
CMS-CCSQ Recommends the advancement of Pain Assessment to Lv2
Recommendation: CMS CCSQ recommends the Pain Assessment element be advanced to Level 2.
Rationale: Upgrading the Pain Assessment data element to Level 2 in the USCDI is crucial for improving care and captured in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) where effective pain management is essential for enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life. Comprehensive pain assessment is necessary to ensure tailored and effective care for both acute and chronic pain management. These assessments which include evaluating pain severity, its impact on daily activities, and its effects on sleep and mood, play a critical role in developing individualized care plans. Data elements such as Pain effect on sleep (J0510), Pain interference with therapy activities (J0520), and Pain interference with daily activities (J0350) are already captured and standardized in assessments like the IRF-PAI, MDS, and LCDS, and provide valuable insights into how pain impacts patient functioning and recovery. Elevating Pain Assessment to Level 2 will signal to vendors the importance of capturing this data element in healthcare IT systems and may increase its adoption, thus facilitating better pain management strategies that improve quality of care.