Intro to Interdisciplinary Treatment Programs

At the 2018 American Academy of Pain Management Annual Meeting, Stephen Stanos, DO – Swedish Health System and President-American Academy of Pain Medicine talked about why the time is right for interdisciplinary pain treatment programs.

The opioid epidemic is getting lots of media attention these days and this has been changing prescribing habits of physicians. How do you approach pain control in this new environment. The time is ripe for interdisciplinary pain management programs.

The National Pain Strategy is the government’s first effort into developing better pain management at the primary physician level including self management and interdisciplinary pain programs. Their first recommendation is the use of these non-pharmacological treatment options. Part of their focus is understanding the origins of chronic pain and developing new treatments for pain.

Multidisciplinary programs include a variety of treatments focused on a common goal. This includes physical therapy, psychological counseling, and other elements. Insurance reimbursement and coverage for these programs has been a challenge.

Barriers that must be overcome developing these programs include:

• Coverage
• Reimbursement
• Resources, system support
• Payers
• Buy in
• Expectations
• Outcomes
• Training and knowledge