Choosing Your Provider
Understanding Clinic Differences
As you look for a pain care provider, you will find that the practice setting also varies. Physicians may be part of a "pain clinic," an "interdisciplinary" or "multi-disciplinary pain clinic," or a "specialty pain clinic."
A pain clinic typically provides treatment for a wide variety of pain conditions, where most or all of the practice time is spent on patients with pain. This is advantageous because providers at these clinics focus on pain across the spectrum of pain conditions. Some pain clinics may focus on certain treatment options and may have a limited number of specialties represented within the clinic. So, each clinic will likely have a slightly different approach and emphasis in how they diagnose and treat pain. For example, some may offer implantable pain control devices and some may not. Some may offer discectomy and some may not. Some may only offer one treatment, such as medication management. If you have unsuccessfully tried all of the treatment options offered to you at one pain clinic, it may be possible that a different pain clinic will have other options that you have not yet tried.
A specialty pain clinic typically focuses on a specific type of pain. So, for example, you may come across a specialty pain clinic that is a "headache clinic," a "back pain clinic," or a "cancer pain clinic." Specialty clinics have a distinct advantage in that the medical staff is repeatedly exposed to one type of pain condition assuming this coincides with your pain condition. However, it is still important that you understand what options are provided by one specialty clinic compared to another.
An interdisciplinary pain clinic or center offers a variety of physician and non-physician specialties with differing expertise functioning as a team under one roof. The advantage of this type of clinic is that caregivers with differing expertise and backgrounds all offer their expertise to the diagnosis and management of your pain, which is then coordinated as a team effort at one location. For example, a clinic may have specialists for different surgical interventions, physical therapists to strengthen or rehabilitate, psychiatrists and/or psychologists to add behavioral techniques and support, chiropractic services to facilitate healing, etc.
A multidisciplinary pain program can be similar to an interdisciplinary pain center in that it may offer various treatments performed by both medical and non-medical providers of different specialties. The difference is that the team members are not located in one facility. Within a multidisciplinary pain program, physicians often rely on reports to each other in order to aid their treatment decisions. The level of "team" interaction will vary from clinic to clinic.
General practices in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, neurology, urology, psychiatry, physiatry, anesthesiology or other implies that the physicians in the practice are not specialists in the treatment and management of chronic pain, even if they may be able to provide certain treatment options. They also may have less experience in the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of pain as a disease. It is up to you to find out what their experience level is before you accept treatment. In other words, if you break your arm, see a well-qualified orthopedic doctor. But if your injury turns into a pain that won't go away, find a well-qualified pain doctor for your specific needs.
Pain physicians also work in a "hospital" or a "private" practice setting, although it is not where they practice but how they practice pain care that matters.
A hospital can include centers that are focused and expert in pain medicine. If you seek pain care from a hospital, it is important find out if the hospital includes a pain center with physicians certified in pain medicine or pain management. Not all hospital programs are comprehensive. Also, their facility for pain management may be limited in what it can offer. Most hospitals do offer acute pain management, especially after surgical procedures, and this service may be quite separate from its chronic pain management programs.
Most pain physicians run their practice in a private facility. However, private practice pain physicians are typically associated with hospitals or surgery centers in order to perform surgery or to provide certain services such as diagnostic MRI.
A pain clinic typically provides treatment for a wide variety of pain conditions, where most or all of the practice time is spent on patients with pain. This is advantageous because providers at these clinics focus on pain across the spectrum of pain conditions. Some pain clinics may focus on certain treatment options and may have a limited number of specialties represented within the clinic. So, each clinic will likely have a slightly different approach and emphasis in how they diagnose and treat pain. For example, some may offer implantable pain control devices and some may not. Some may offer discectomy and some may not. Some may only offer one treatment, such as medication management. If you have unsuccessfully tried all of the treatment options offered to you at one pain clinic, it may be possible that a different pain clinic will have other options that you have not yet tried.
A specialty pain clinic typically focuses on a specific type of pain. So, for example, you may come across a specialty pain clinic that is a "headache clinic," a "back pain clinic," or a "cancer pain clinic." Specialty clinics have a distinct advantage in that the medical staff is repeatedly exposed to one type of pain condition assuming this coincides with your pain condition. However, it is still important that you understand what options are provided by one specialty clinic compared to another.
An interdisciplinary pain clinic or center offers a variety of physician and non-physician specialties with differing expertise functioning as a team under one roof. The advantage of this type of clinic is that caregivers with differing expertise and backgrounds all offer their expertise to the diagnosis and management of your pain, which is then coordinated as a team effort at one location. For example, a clinic may have specialists for different surgical interventions, physical therapists to strengthen or rehabilitate, psychiatrists and/or psychologists to add behavioral techniques and support, chiropractic services to facilitate healing, etc.
A multidisciplinary pain program can be similar to an interdisciplinary pain center in that it may offer various treatments performed by both medical and non-medical providers of different specialties. The difference is that the team members are not located in one facility. Within a multidisciplinary pain program, physicians often rely on reports to each other in order to aid their treatment decisions. The level of "team" interaction will vary from clinic to clinic.
General practices in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, neurology, urology, psychiatry, physiatry, anesthesiology or other implies that the physicians in the practice are not specialists in the treatment and management of chronic pain, even if they may be able to provide certain treatment options. They also may have less experience in the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of pain as a disease. It is up to you to find out what their experience level is before you accept treatment. In other words, if you break your arm, see a well-qualified orthopedic doctor. But if your injury turns into a pain that won't go away, find a well-qualified pain doctor for your specific needs.
Clinic Settings
Pain physicians also work in a "hospital" or a "private" practice setting, although it is not where they practice but how they practice pain care that matters.
A hospital can include centers that are focused and expert in pain medicine. If you seek pain care from a hospital, it is important find out if the hospital includes a pain center with physicians certified in pain medicine or pain management. Not all hospital programs are comprehensive. Also, their facility for pain management may be limited in what it can offer. Most hospitals do offer acute pain management, especially after surgical procedures, and this service may be quite separate from its chronic pain management programs.
Most pain physicians run their practice in a private facility. However, private practice pain physicians are typically associated with hospitals or surgery centers in order to perform surgery or to provide certain services such as diagnostic MRI.