Our Approach to Pain Management
All patients will have an appropriately thorough initial consultation. Establishing a proper course of pain management treatment may require more than one visit which may involve gathering records, referrals to adjunctive providers for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, test injections with local anesthetic, or exams under radiological guidance such as ultrasound or fluoroscopy.
All procedures are done only by board certified physicians with the highest levels of qualification for the procedures done. In addition, and unique to this clinic, all procedures may be done under monitored anesthesia care by board certified anesthesiologists. While we do not require the less painful procedures be done under monitored anesthesia care, it remains an option for patients undergoing all types of procedures who may have severe anxiety around procedures, difficulty with pain during procedures, or difficulty holding still otherwise.
For our ketamine patients considering treatment for psychiatric / psychological conditions including but not limited to depression, PTSD, and anxiety, we will review at initial consultation the likelihood ketamine will work, logistical requirements for treatment, and provide a detailed risk: benefit analysis so patients understand the treatment fully. We try to get insurance coverage for every infusion and submit claims through insurance.
We have studied our own patient database and have found that our ketamine treatments for psychiatric conditions result in a 68% success rate. We define success as patients who continue treatments with us beyond the initial stabilization phase of infusions. This is a conservative way to estimate success, but we are proud of this result as it demonstrates the number of patients who really do benefit and decide continuing the treatments is worth it to them. The majority of these patients are previously classified “treatment refractory” meaning they have tried many other treatments for their condition before coming to us. This makes a 68% success rate more impressive.
