One of the biggest impacts on quality of life is chronic pain. Finding the right treatment can be frustrating, time-consuming, and physically and emotionally exhausting. Rather than give up and settle for a less than optimal outcome, physicians at Midwest Pain Clinics take a multi-disciplinary approach to each patient who sees them. Their goal is to develop a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan that can be conducted at one facility to ensure convenience, affordability, and the best results possible.
Pain management is a specific field of medicine focused on reducing pain and its associated physical and emotional suffering. Although physicians try to identify the underlying cause of the pain, even when that’s not clear, Midwest Pain Clinics will still treat patients to relieve their pain. Some of the more common conditions they treat are pain associated with arthritis, especially in the back and neck, headaches, leg and foot pain, as well as knee and hip joint pain. “We see anyone whose pain is severely impacting their lives and are seeking care beyond what their primary care physician can offer,” said Matthew Nadler, MD.
Although they do treat acute pain as well, most injuries heal over time, and they can address pain during that healing phase. But for conditions that don’t improve over time, Midwest Pain Clinics have a number of methods they can incorporate. And diagnosing the problem is one area in which they specialize. “We can often identify a problem that has been overlooked in the past,” said Kevin Balter, MD. “A patient who sees us can often get a correct diagnosis and reduce their risk of a more invasive treatment, such as surgery, which is permanent.”
Injections, medications, chiropractic, physical therapy, and counseling are all available approaches that Midwest Pain Clinics have on site. In fact, one of its most unique aspects is that they offer all options right under one roof, including an on-site pharmacy. “We are able to stock all the medications we prescribe, and our pharmacists are familiar with options to reduce out of pocket costs for our patients,” said Dr. Balter. And because they have their own surgery center on site, they are also able to provide IV sedation for anxious patients undergoing procedures, even if insurance companies don’t approve it. In fact, Midwest Pain Clinics believe so strongly in helping all chronic pain sufferers, they won’t turn away patients, even those with financial limitations.
Dr. Balter explained that providing treatment options at lower costs improves outcomes. In fact, they are conducting their own studies to show that through cost saving pain management options, it keeps patients from more expensive treatment options, such as going to the Emergency Room or having surgery. “We can focus on the needs of the patient by eliminating any barriers to care,” he said. “If a treatment option will make a difference in the quality of a patient’s life, then we will do what it takes to provide that for them.”
Pain medication is often used as one of the treatment options, but Midwest Pain Clinics recognizes there are a wide variety of options rather than just standard pain medications. Although they do prescribe narcotics for some cases, given the current opiate crisis, they are very careful to evaluate when it’s appropriate and when a patient may be suffering from an addiction and a psychiatrist is needed as part of the care team. “It’s so important for us to have good communication with our patients so that we are aware of any issues before prescribing medications,” Dr. Balter said.
Midwest Pain Clinics has locations in Omaha, Lincoln, Columbus, Missouri Valley, IA, and Dakota Dunes, SD. Their physicians have a wide variety of backgrounds and specialties, who all work together to provide a team approach to healthcare. “All chronic pain is not the same and shouldn’t be treated the same way,” said Richard Bose, MD. “We are able to communicate directly between all our physicians and pharmacists on site and collaborate with all disciplines. Our patients don’t leave our facility without some form of treatment to help ease their pain.”