Resources for Sickle Cell Disease Pain Management
ASH is committed to addressing issues related to pain management in the care of individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) by providing information and resources from vested stakeholder groups.
Policy and News
The latest legislative and policy work regarding the management of pain in the SCD treatment space.
- CDC Issues Key Clarification on Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
- Joint statement by the American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) on guideline clarification by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- HHS Pain Taskforce- Pain Management Best Practices
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force Report on Acute and Chronic Pain Management; SCD provisions can be found in the Special Populations section of the report
- Infographic on Special Populations section
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force Report on Acute and Chronic Pain Management; SCD provisions can be found in the Special Populations section of the report
- CMS Pain Management letter
- 2020 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement and Final Call Letter Fact Sheet, in which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommends beneficiaries with SCD be excluded from opioid safety edits
- ASH Statement on Opioid Use in Patients with Hematologic Diseases and Disorders
- ASH statement on potential adverse effects that policy changes could have on the administration of necessary and appropriate pain medicine for patients with hematologic conditions such as SCD, blood cancers, and other bleeding disorders
Clinical Resources
Resources to assist practitioners in providing excellent quality of care in the treatment of SCD.
- SCD Pocket Guides
- Evidence-based pocket guides developed by ASH to help practitioners improve the quality of care provided to patients with sickle cell disease
- Benign Hematology Curriculum
- A series of free, web-based videos designed to supplement education in classical hematology for fellows, several of which focus on pain management
- ASH Consult-a-Colleague
- A service for ASH members that helps facilitate the exchange of information between hematologists and their peers on topics including SCD
- Emergency Department Sickle Cell Care Coalition (EDSC3)
- Resources, such as podcasts, aimed at helping to improve emergency care of individuals with SCD created by the American College of Emergency Physicians' Emergency Department
- Sickle Cell Disease Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations and a Checklist
Questions?
If you have questions or comments regarding the information on this page, please contact Shantá Robertson, Manager, Sickle Cell Disease Programs at srobertson@hematology.org.