How To Find a Pain Clinic
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How do you ensure that you will receive the highest level of medical care when undergoing a pain management procedure, such as an epidural injection? There are several indications that the physician you're using for these advanced pain procedures is committed to providing your patients the best medical care.
Here are some questions to ask before undergoing pain management or therapeutic spine injections:
IS THE PHYSICIAN BOARD CERTIFIED IN PAIN MEDICINE? The certifying boards are the American Board of Anesthesiology Subspecialty Certification in Pain Management, and the American Board of Pain Medicine.
DOES THE PHYSICIAN PRACTICE PAIN MEDICINE ON A FULL-TIME BASIS? With the explosion of information and techniques in pain management, it is clearly a full-time job to stay current in this field. Would you use a neurosurgeon who practiced only part-time?
DOES THE PHYSICIAN PERFORM ALL OF HIS SPINAL INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES AT A SURGERY FACILITY THAT HAS BEEN LICENSED by the State of Arizona, has Medicare approval, and has been certified by JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) or AAAHC (Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care)? This means the facility has been inspected and approved by the State of Arizona, the Federal Goverment and an independent third-party accrediting agency. Be careful of doctors who are attempting difficult spinal procedures in their offices without the proper safety equipment, and no means for handling a medical emergency. A fully licensed and accredited facilty must meet strigent requirements in order to keep seeing patients. Foremost is patient safety.
IS THE PHYSICIAN DILIGENT IN KEEPING UP WITH THE MOSTS CURRENT TECHNIQUES in pain medicine, such as radiofrequency ablation, transforaminal epidural injections, fluoroscopy and intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET)?
DOES THE PHYSICIAN PERFORM ALL SPINAL INJECTIONS WITH FLUOROSCOPY to ensure that the medications reach the intended target, and to decrease the likelihood of serious complications?
DOES THE PHYSICIAN HAVE AN ESTABLISHED OFFICE AND MEDICAL STAFF to provide complete care of your patient? Be wary of physicians who advertise themselves as "pain specialists" when all they run is a "block shop" with no medical office.
DOES THE PHYSICIAN BELONG TO THE MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS that are important in determining the future of advanced pain medicine, such as ISIS (International Spinal Injection Society) and AAPM (American Academy of Pain Medicine)?
DOES THE PHYSICIAN PRACTICE IN A TRUE MULTIDISCIPLINARY PAIN CLINIC including interventional procedures, psychology, physical therapy and rehabilitation?
There are some organizations that can assist you. The American Board of Pain Medicine certifies doctors from multiple different specialties ( (www.abpm.org). The International Spinal Intervention Society doesn't certify physicians, but most members adhere to high standard for interventional pain procedures (www.spinalinjection.org).
If your physician fulfills all of the above criteria, then you can be reasonably assured that you will receive good medical care. If not, then you may want to investigate whether you are receiving the best and most modern medical treatment.
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