Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act of 2026

This bill advances population research for chronic pain by amending the Public Health Service Act. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use federal data to clarify chronic pain incidence and prevalence, identify data gaps, and collect deidentified population research data using medical claims and surveys. The Secretary must also develop standard definitions and approaches for chronic pain research with experts and disseminate findings.

Sec. 2, National Chronic Pain Information System: The Secretary, consulting with CDC, NIH, and other agencies, must utilize federal research data to clarify chronic pain incidence and prevalence from any source, including injuries, operations, and diseases. They must identify data gaps and collect deidentified data on specific pain conditions, demographics, risk factors, diagnosis markers, costs, epidemiology, management, treatment, co-occurring conditions, service utilization, treatment effectiveness, and non-opioid approaches. The Secretary must develop standard definitions with experts including patients, epidemiologists, and clinicians, and disseminate findings via a public web page.

The Secretary, through CDC, must establish a public Chronic Pain Information Hub that aggregates federal data and research, summarizes CDC's data collection, and translates findings into clinical tools and annual recommendations for researchers.

Collaborators receiving payments from drug or device manufacturers must disclose such payments to the Secretary, who makes them public.

Within two years of enactment, the Secretary must report to Congress on the Hub's development, information made available, data gaps identified, feedback processes, and collaborator feedback.

Chronic pain is defined as persistent or recurrent pain lasting longer than 3 months.

Such sums as necessary are authorized for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.