Chronic Pain Patient Services
Chronic Pain Treatment Options:
CONSULTATION ONLY:
Treatment goals: Following a consultation with the doctor, objective tests are performed to determine the type and extent of the patient's problem. These tests will also show whether or not our chronic pain treatments should be effective. A report detailing the patient's assessment and prognosis will be given to the patient and, at the patient's request, will be sent to the patient's primary care provider and/or the patient's insurance company.
ONSITE:
Typically, insurance covers 70% to 80% of the charges in our clinic. If the patient will contact our clinic, the staff will be able to explain exactly what portion of our charges for which the patient will be responsible. Medicare will not pay for the home unit nor will they pay for the treatments. Medicare will cover the treatments in our clinic but will pay nothing toward the home unit.
Our chronic pain clinic offers the following packages:
5 DAYS
Includes nerve testing, circulation testing, plain film thermograms, skin temperature gradients, heart rate variability, and X-rays as needed.Type of patient: This program is for chronic pain patients who are unable to stay for the recommended 15 days of treatment. This option is designed for chronic pain patients not taking narcotics. Treatment goals: The chronic pain patient is established as an official patient of our clinic so that follow-up protocols can be provided via the Internet. A report detailing the patient's assessment and prognosis will be sent to the patient's primary physician to facilitate communication regarding the patient's course of treatment. The patient will be instructed on how to access the internet to request and obtain follow-up protocols. The patient will be instructed on how to properly setup and run the STS home unit, for maximum benefit.
15 DAYS
Includes nerve testing, circulation testing, plain film thermograms, skin temperature gradients, heart rate variability, and X-rays as needed.
Type of patient: This is the recommended program, utilized by most patients in our clinic. This program is designed for chronic pain patients taking minimal or no narcotics.
Treatment goals: The patient is established as an official patient of our clinic so that follow-up protocols can be provided via the Internet. A report detailing the patient's assessment and prognosis will be sent to the patient's primary physician to facilitate communication regarding the patient's course of chronic pain treatment. The patient will be instructed on how to access the internet to request and obtain follow-up protocols. The patient will be instructed on how to properly setup and run the STS home unit, for maximum benefit. 15 days of chronic pain treatment allows us to determine the best protocols for the patient, educate the patient about their disease, and to begin reducing the patient's medications.
30 DAYS
This includes nerve testing, circulation testing, plain film thermograms, skin temperature gradients, heart rate variability, and X-rays as needed.
Type of patient: This program is strongly recommended for patients who are taking larger amounts of medications, particularly narcotics. This is the program utilized by patients with more complicated chronic pain syndromes, such as CRPS/RSDS or multiple chronic pain involvements. This is also the program utilized by many of the patients who arrive at our clinic nonweightbearing (in wheelchairs or on crutches).
Treatment goals: The patient is established as an official patient of our clinic so that follow-up protocols can be provided via the Internet. A report detailing the patient's assessment and prognosis will be sent to the patient's primary physician to facilitate communication regarding the patient's course of chronic pain treatment. The patient will be instructed on how to access the internet to request and obtain follow-up protocols. The patient will be instructed on how to properly setup and run the STS home unit, for maximum benefit.
30 days of treatment allows us to determine the best protocols for the patient, educate the patient about their disease, and to substantially reduce the patient's medications.
OFFSITE:
This includes nerve testing, circulation testing, plain film thermograms, skin temperature gradients, heart rate variability, and X-rays as needed.
It is possible for a patient's physician to contact our clinic so that the patient can receive electrode pad placement protocols, through the physician's office. After the physician's office has set up a contact through our clinic, the physician's office can obtain the necessary information for the initial settings, as well as, continuing alterations.
In all cases, when accessing the internet, our clinic will be working in conjunction with your local physician. The difference between coming to our chronic pain clinic or not is that, when you are one of our patients, you can access the internet yourself. If you are not one of our chronic pain patients, you will need to access the internet, through your physician.
