That all depends - if you are specifically INTERVENTIONAL Pain Mgmt then the answer is no. The problem arises when internal medicine doesn't have the know-how to write narcotics correctly and refers to Pain Mgmt solely for that reason. Those Doctors should use procedural based medicine first, and manage chronic pain with meds second. If you are PM&R this is more likely to happen than if you are an Anesthesiology trained Pain Mgmt Doctor who doesn't have the wide array of procedures to try first. Those Doc's rely more on pain meds hoping it will somehow correct the situation for the patient, which it usually does not.
These doctors are a cash cow that only want their patients to return monthly to get their drugs. They want to do expensive implantables that make them money, etc...legalized drug pushers
not true at all. Interventional pain doctors are a highly skilled group that are treating some of the most difficult patients in medicine. Income from writing scripts is modest when compared to procedures. For some patients meds do work and for some procedures are most beneficial. All doctors with few exceptions are financially motivated, but most will do what their training was about. Doctors for the most part do not write a script just to make money
They are all greedy. I get hit on by them all the time. They swing both ways you know? All they want is the big $$$$ and my big package. They all hate there wives. I'm sick of hearing it fellas--do you feel me?
Physicians that are being paid by pharma are posted on the internet, by law! There are physicians who are being paid a quarter million a year to encourage other doctors to push their meds. There are literally 10,000 doctors in the big three states being paid by big pharma....I detect a problem.
I know this is an old thread but I am going to jump in as a chronic pain patient of 30 years. I have seen them all and have been treated by a Physical Rehabilitation doc for the last 13 years. The guy is no shot jock and is conservative with the sched. IIs. The practice is tight and he can smell a drug seeker a mile off. Ok, that is an exageration. His goal is to restore function and has a big bag of tricks. Procedures are tried but discontinued if ineffective. The biggest problem from my perspective (and my peers) are the Medicare/Medicaid cut backs. There was a time when he could put me in the rehab hospital every 9-12 months for a tune up. It was six hours of therapy a day and pure boot camp. I entered the hospital in a wheelchair and would leave walking. I would go home with a host of exercises which I did faithfully but there were some badly needed treatments that I could only get inpatient. After a while, I would start to go downhill again and the pain would spike beyond belief in spite of reasonable med levels. That's when we would repeat the process. Inpatient rehab is no longer covered for mobility problems, uncontolled pain and quality of life issues. I can no longer even get out patient PT as I am considered a poor candidate as I don't respond fast enough. I have actually been told by Medicare that they have spent enough money on me already and I am a bad investment. I am now homebound with a home health aid that comes three days a week and a nurse who could care less that comes once a month. The approved services keep getting cut back and the time is approaching where I will have to go into a nursing home with full congitive function. Imagine being only 60 and relatively healthy and being forced into a semi private little room with heaven knows what for a room mate. No privacy. No dignity. Dietary orders will ge ignored. I have spent extended periods in several nursing homes for intensive in patient rehab. You don't dare take anything you aren't willing to have stolen. Thank heaven for the decent pain docs who play is straight. They don't make the big money but make a difference.
Well, if you voted in November '12, I'll wager that you voted for Obama because you thought that Medicare, aka the U.S. Federal Government was going to take care of you. So, you've dealt with cp for 30 years. Medicare is right. You have had too much $$$ spent on you and you are a bad investment. In your lengthy post, you say nothing about time lost from work, lost wages etc. You probably never had a real job in 30 years and were a viable contributing member of society. Rather, you are a bottom-feeding sponge intent on crying about what you mistakenly think is due you and continue to hold to the notion that "John Q. Taxpayer" is going carry you. All you can whine about is the lack of or cut back of tax payer funded social services. You break my heart! Clearly, you're not bright enough to get what little social security disability benefits you might have. How can you say you're "relatively healthy" if nursing homes are your "home away from home"? What the hell do you need in a nursing home other than your night gown, a steady supply of "Depends" diapers. I guess your scared somebody will "steal" the batteries out of your TV remote control. Too bad Dr. Kevorkian is 6 feet under because I know he could have written a hell of a prescription for you! What a waste....
Wow, you are a turly vile individual! The way you speak to someone who is suffering is heartless. I sincerely hope you do not have a family that must put up with hearing your vile drivel toward those in need. It is you who is the scum of the earth that I'd love to step on and squash like the little ant that got caught under my shoe.
