Advocating for the Creation and Funding of Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Programs throughout the U.S.

With the revision and implementation of CARF's Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation (IPR) standards in 2022, accredited IPR providers have begun to adopt these new standards which seek to enhance the quality and performance improvement of IPR programs across the world. In a parallel and independent effort, a group of stakeholders from across the field of IPR have continued to advocate for the creation and expansion of new and existing IPR programs across the U.S. to regulators, payors, and providers. Their efforts have sought to achieve enhanced funding and access to non-invasive, IPR services for individuals with chronic pain within the context of the opioid epidemic. Additional efforts by this group have focused on securing per diem reimbursement for IPR services from commercial payors, overcoming existing barriers, and determining an outlook for future necessary actions by all stakeholders.