Pacira Highlights NOPAIN Act Survey: Awareness and Prescribing Changes

In a new press release, Pacira BioSciences shared findings from the Voices for Non-Opioid Choices ATU survey, which included directors of pharmacy, medical directors, surgeons, and anesthesiologists from nearly 750 hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory surgery centers on awareness of the NOPAIN Act and reported changes in prescribing and pain-management protocols.

The law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025 with the intent of increasing access to qualifying non-opioid pain-management options for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing surgery in ambulatory surgery center and hospital outpatient department settings.

Pacira reports that 85% of facility representatives surveyed were aware of the NOPAIN Act, and that more than half of facilities (52%) had taken steps to increase utilization of qualifying non-opioid options.

More than 80% of those surveyed said the legislation decreased opioid prescribing immediately after surgery (83%) and at discharge (88%). A majority of respondents said their facilities changed perioperative and postoperative pain-management protocols (52% and 51%, respectively) to increase the use of non-opioids and decrease the use of opioids.