Health Care Professionals' Frequent Questions
When is referral to a pediatric pain clinic indicated?
Primary care practitioners see the vast majority of pain complaints and manage them quite well. Occasionally, a pain condition presents itself that is perplexing, multifaceted and / or resistant to standard treatments. It is for this subset of pain conditions that we make ourselves available to all practitioners. Neuropathic pain (including RSD), cancer pain, pelvic pain, and pain behaviors in mentally retarded children are examples of this subset of pains.
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How can I provide the best pain care to my patients?
As consultants, we recognize the therapeutic bond that has been established between primary practitioners and their patients. We strive to forge an alliance with the practitioner to provide the smoothest, most coordinated care for our shared patients.
Communication is of utmost importance. Therefore, you will receive a letter detailing our comprehensive evaluation after the first visit, as well as briefer notes after follow-up visits. We will try to coordinate the initiation of new medications or therapies if there is any risk of interfering with an existing plan of treatment.
We ask only that you do not start or stop any pain-related medication without contacting us, as several medications have either drug-drug interactions or withdrawal symptoms. We have a physician on-call at all times to respond to any emergency needs that arise.
Finally, we spend a fair amount of time and effort "de-medicalizing" pain. We try to reduce the emphasis on tests and procedures, once life-threatening entities have been ruled out. We ask for your cooperation in not ordering more tests, X-rays or other such things, even at the risk of irritating the patient or parents. Often, the more unnecessary tests are done, the slower the progress is.
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How can I ensure a smooth referral process for my patients?
As a consulting service, we are required to have a physician consultation request in order to receive reimbursement from most insurance companies. We request that pre-certification numbers for "pain physician," "physical therapist" and "psychologist" alike be sent along with the physician consult. Sending these pre-certification numbers will help avoid delays in scheduling appointments.
Any relevant records, tests and radiological studies should accompany the initial letter if at all possible. Certainly sending copies along with the patient is helpful.
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