H.R. 5774

Combating Opioid Abuse for Care in Hospitals Act of 2018 or the COACH Act of 2018

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to publish guidance for hospitals on pain management and opioid-use disorder prevention strategies for Medicare beneficiaries.

(Sec. 3) The CMS must also convene a technical expert panel to recommend opioid and opioid-use disorder quality measures for possible use in hospital payment and reporting models under Medicare.

(Sec. 4) The Department of Health and Human Services must: (1) convene a technical expert panel to recommend ways to reduce opioid use in surgical settings and best practices for pain management, specifically during the perioperative (pre-operative through post-operative) period; and (2) report on diagnosis-related group codes that have the highest volume of surgeries and the availability of associated data regarding post-operative opioid use, including prescription patterns and rates of consumption.

(Sec. 5) The CMS must also publish and periodically update all guidance issued since January 1, 2016, related to the prescription of opioids for Medicare beneficiaries.