In recommendations that at times echo those in a recently published APTA white paper, a new "roadmap" for addressing the opioid crisis adds to the voices calling for increased patient access to nonpharmacological and multidisciplinary approaches to pain management. APTA was among the organizations that helped guide development of the report.

"A Roadmap for Action" is based on a summit sponsored by the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), a coalition of chief executives from hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, health insurers and other organizations. Summit participants, which included APTA, developed what HLC describes as "a concrete set of recommendations that identify best practices, prioritize solutions, and identify policy reforms necessary to collaboratively address the opioid crisis." APTA members may find the roadmap useful in advocacy and consumer education efforts.

The roadmap focuses on 5 broad "priority areas" that require a range of actions at the legislative, regulatory, and industry level "to remove barriers to improved care, essential flow and use of data, and the development of therapeutic tools," according to the report. They are:

• Improved system approaches to pain management
• Improved system approaches to prevent opioid misuse
• Expanded access to evidence-based substance-use disorder treatment and behavioral health services
• Improved care coordination through data access and analytics
• Development of sustainable payment systems that support coordination and quality care

The list is followed by separate recommendations for "health care leaders," lawmakers, and regulators that are largely consistent with those developed by APTA in its white paper "Beyond Opioids: How Physical Therapy Can Transform Pain Management to Improve Health Care." Both the HLC and APTA resources call for increased public and provider awareness of nonpharmacological options for pain management, increased payer support for nonopioid approaches, and wider use of multidisciplinary teams. The HLC roadmap includes physical therapists as providers whose expertise should be put to use "through recognition and payment of services, as well as integration into care teams and opioid stewardship models."

"This document is a call to action, not only for lawmakers and regulators, but also for all sectors of American healthcare," the HLC report states. "While public policy has a vital role to play in removing barriers to advancements in care and empowering accelerated therapeutic innovation, private sector leadership is critical on every aspect of this issue, from improvements in pain management to data-driven proactive interventions to strengthened opioid stewardship."