MITA applauds Senate provision for ultrasound treatment funding in opioid bill
The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) commended the U.S. Senate for including a bipartisan provision in the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 to facilitate the development of ultrasound technologies as an alternative to using opioids for pain management.
The bill passed 99-1 on Monday, Sept. 17 and will direct HHS to fund federal agencies to establish or expand opioid prevention, treatment and recovery programs in the U.S.
Specifically for imaging technologies, the bill will support the development of alternative pain management protocols meant to limit the use of opioids such as ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia and focused ultrasound therapy which can be used to deliver pain relief and suppress nerve activity to relieve acute and chronic pain, according to MITA.
“We commend the Senate’s support of this legislation as it will spur the development of new therapies meant to help patients better manage their pain while reducing the need for opioids in the emergency room,” said Joe Robinson, chairman of the MITA board of directors and senior vice president of health systems solutions at Philips Healthcare, in a MITA release.
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.