P.A.R.T. USA
What We Do
Advocacy. Research. Education. Collaboration. Action.
P.A.R.T. USA works to protect patients, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, preserve individualized medical care, and help ensure that policies affecting pain treatment are grounded in reason, evidence, compassion, and the needs of real people.
FROM PRINCIPLES TO ACTION
Our Mission Requires More Than Words.
The problems facing chronic pain patients do not come from one law, one agency, one company, one profession, or one level of government.
Patients can encounter barriers involving prescribing policies, pharmacies, insurance companies, federal regulations, state laws, medication supply, healthcare systems, corporate policies, and misinformation surrounding pain treatment.
That means meaningful advocacy has to happen in many places at once.
OUR WORK
Where P.A.R.T. USA Is Making a Difference
Our work is designed to address both the immediate problems patients face today and the larger systems that shape access to care.
Federal Advocacy
We work to bring the experiences and concerns of chronic pain patients into federal policy discussions.
- Congressional outreach
- Federal legislative proposals
- Agency policy and regulatory issues
- Patient protections
- Federal public comment opportunities
- Long-term policy reform
State Advocacy
Many healthcare policies are created or enforced at the state level. P.A.R.T. USA supports state-based advocacy that reflects the needs of patients within each individual state.
- State legislation
- Medical and pharmacy boards
- State agencies
- Public hearings and comments
- State-level patient protections
- Local advocacy opportunities
Protecting the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Medical decisions should be based on the individual patient, the physician’s clinical judgment, and the circumstances of that patient’s care.
- Individualized treatment decisions
- Clinical judgment
- Protection from arbitrary restrictions
- Opposition to one-size-fits-all medicine
- Reasonable safeguards without blanket control
Protecting Access to Pain Treatment
We advocate for patients living with serious and chronic pain to have access to appropriate, individualized treatment without being treated as criminals, liabilities, or statistics.
- Protection from inappropriate forced tapering
- Individual treatment planning
- Access to medically appropriate therapies
- Patient dignity
- Recognition of complex chronic pain
Pharmacy Access
A valid prescription does little good when a patient cannot find a pharmacy able or willing to fill it.
- Pharmacy access barriers
- Medication availability
- Corporate pharmacy policies
- Patient communication and transparency
- Responsible solutions for legitimate prescriptions
Insurance & Administrative Interference
Treatment decisions can also be disrupted by prior authorization, coverage restrictions, formularies, corporate policies, and other administrative barriers.
- Insurance denials
- Prior authorization barriers
- Coverage restrictions
- Administrative delays
- Policies that interfere with individualized care
Medication Supply & Shortages
P.A.R.T. USA examines the policies and systems that can affect the availability of legitimate prescription medications.
- Controlled-substance manufacturing quotas
- Medication shortages
- Supply-chain barriers
- Federal policy
- Patient access consequences
Research & Evidence
Strong advocacy requires more than personal stories. It also requires credible evidence, history, policy analysis, and data.
- Legislative research
- Policy analysis
- Medical and scientific literature
- Regulatory history
- Patient-access data
- Evidence for proposed reforms
Public Education
Chronic pain policy is often discussed without enough understanding of the patients who live with its consequences.
- Educational materials
- Videos and public information
- Patient-rights education
- Policy explanations
- Correcting misinformation
- Helping patients understand how to participate
Bringing Patient Voices to the Table
The people most affected by healthcare policy should not be the people least represented when those policies are created.
- Patient stories
- Surveys and reports
- Testimony
- Public comments
- Meetings with policymakers
- Documenting patterns patients are experiencing
Building State Chapters
A national organization can create a foundation, but lasting change also requires people who understand the laws, agencies, lawmakers, and needs of their own states.
- State chapter development
- Leadership support
- Advocacy training
- State-specific resources
- Local coalition building
- Connecting state and national efforts
Collaboration Across the Community
P.A.R.T. USA believes organizations serving the same community can accomplish more by sharing knowledge and supporting good work instead of operating in isolation.
- Supporting other advocacy organizations
- Sharing useful resources
- Coordinating advocacy when appropriate
- Reducing duplicated effort
- Creating opportunities for leaders to communicate
THE BIGGER PICTURE
We Follow the Problem Wherever It Leads.
P.A.R.T. USA does not begin with the assumption that every barrier to care has one cause.
A patient’s difficulty obtaining treatment may involve federal law, state law, an agency rule, an insurance policy, a pharmacy decision, a healthcare system, a manufacturer, a distributor, or several of those systems operating at the same time.
Effective advocacy means identifying the actual source of the problem and pursuing the solution where change can realistically occur.
BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE
A National Community for Patients, Advocates & Organizations
P.A.R.T. USA is also developing a private national Member Community designed to bring patients, caregivers, advocates, state chapters, supporters, resources, outside organizations, and advocacy leaders together in one place.
Membership will be free, allowing people to stand with the mission regardless of whether they can travel, testify, attend meetings, or volunteer extensively.
Over time, the community can become a place for state resources, advocacy tools, working groups, member connections, organizational collaboration, calls to action, educational materials, and opportunities for people to use their individual skills to strengthen the movement.
HOW ADVOCACY BECOMES ACTION
From a Problem to a Solution
Listen
Identify what patients, providers, and communities are experiencing.
Research
Determine what law, policy, agency, practice, or system is involved.
Build
Develop evidence, proposals, resources, partnerships, and solutions.
Act
Take the issue to lawmakers, agencies, stakeholders, and the public.
Change Requires Both a Voice and a Plan.
P.A.R.T. USA is working to provide both.
We advocate for patients today while building the structure needed to protect them tomorrow.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT?
Learn More. Then Become P.A.R.T. of the Work.
Read the principles behind our work, or discover the many ways you can help move the mission forward.