I recently had the honor of presenting at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on one of the most essential tools I’ve used as a patient advocate and educator: the Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) Toolbox diagram. The audience was members of the Social Security Administration. With permission to use the model, I shared how it serves as a visual anchor for understanding pain care that truly centers the person living with chronic pain.
But a diagram is only as useful as its application—and there’s room for growth. In this post, I want to share what I presented, how we can improve the CIPM model, and how it could—and should—be used in tandem with tools like the U.S. Pain Foundation’s MyPainPlan to help people living with pain understand and access meaningful treatment options.
The CIPM Diagram: A Snapshot of Person-Centered Pain Care
The CIPM Toolbox diagram was designed to illustrate a broad spectrum of evidence-based, integrative pain management options. Most importantly, it puts the person living with pain at the center.
When I presented the diagram to the National Academies, I highlighted the following:
- Clarity: The diagram offers a clear, accessible overview of non-opioid therapies, including behavioral, rehabilitative, pharmacologic, and complementary approaches.
- Empowerment: It helps patients see what’s available, what might work in combination, and what’s covered by insurance.
- Communication: It provides a visual tool that clinicians and patients can use together to co-create care plans.
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—it’s a you-sized model. That’s what makes it so powerful.
Where It Needs to Go Next
While the CIPM Toolbox is a leap forward, the diagram must evolve if it’s going to truly serve people with lived experience of pain.
Here are three key improvements I would like to propose:
- Make It Interactive and Searchable
Patients need more than a list—they need actionable guidance. By making each therapy listed on the CIPM diagram clickable and searchable, we could link to:- Evidence summaries
- Insurance coverage guidance
- Patient success stories
- Local provider directories
This transforms a static tool into a dynamic guide.
- Add Real-World Use Cases
Many patients ask: “Where do I start?”
Including “pathways” or case examples (e.g., someone living with fibromyalgia, arthritis, or low back pain) would help users understand how multiple therapies can work together, over time. - Layer in Equity and Access
The current version does not clearly reflect barriers faced by many—cost, geography, cultural mismatch, or disability. We must explicitly design with accessibility and equity in mind.
Enter MyPainPlan: A Perfect Complement
The MyPainPlan tool from the U.S. Pain Foundation already fills some of these gaps. It’s an interactive tool that walks patients through selecting treatment options and builds a personalized pain management plan they can take to their healthcare provider.
Here’s how it complements the CIPM diagram:
- CIPM provides the map.
- MyPainPlan builds the itinerary.
I believe these tools should be linked—and even co-developed in future iterations. Imagine this:
- A patient clicks on a therapy from the CIPM diagram.
- They’re directed to MyPainPlan to see if that therapy might work for them.
- They answer a few questions and generate a tailored plan.
- That plan includes discussion prompts for their doctor and insurance information.
This synergy empowers patients to engage, advocate, and act—not just receive.
What This Means for Advocacy
As someone living with chronic pain for nearly four decades and facilitating support groups for over 27 years, I know how overwhelming pain care can be. Tools like the CIPM model and MyPainPlan are lifelines. But only if we keep improving them—with patients involved at every step.
At the National Academies, I didn’t just present a diagram. I presented a vision—a future where people in pain are not just recipients of care but leaders in defining it.
What’s Next?
If you’re a provider, researcher, policymaker, or fellow patient advocate, here’s what you can do:
- Use the CIPM diagram and MyPainPlan in educational sessions, clinic visits, or support groups.
- Call for integration: Urge organizations to coordinate efforts between existing tools rather than reinvent the wheel.
- Help make it real: Advocate for funding to make these tools interactive, inclusive, and widely accessible.
The tools are here. The knowledge is here. The will is here. Let’s build the bridge between them.
Disclaimer: The views, positions, and recommendations expressed in this article are based on my personal experiences and independent research. They are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA).
ChatGPT assisted in drafting this post based on my original notes and presentation.