FAQ

Q: Are your Doctors properly trained?
A: Yes.  Trained and Boarded in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and with many years of experience in both fields, our Doctors are ideally qualified to diagnose and treat your painful spine or extremity condition.

Q:Should I see a surgeon before I come to see Pain Management?
A:Either approach can work for diagnosis of your painful condition, however if you wish to pursue a more conservative treatment, with referrals to surgery in the event that this is necessary, then scheduling with Pain Management first would be a good approach.

Q: Where do you perform procedures on patients?
A: We perform injections and other procedures at Sugar Land Surgical Hospital (Corner of Highway 6 and Brooks Street), Memorial Hermann Southwest Surgical Center (Hwy 59 and Gessner – in the grounds of the Memorial Southwest Hospital), at Methodist Hospital Sugar Land, and in the Brazos Pain Management office, using state of the art fluoroscopy to assure accurate and recorded placement of the medications or other treatment.

Q: Do your physicians prescribe pain medications?
A: Our practice primarily focuses on diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of painful conditions.  We will sometimes prescribe medications to relieve acute conditions, or to provide pain relief while undergoing other treatments such as injections, physical therapy, imaging or consultations with surgeons, neurologists or other specialists.

WE WILL NOT TAKE OVER MEDICATIONS PRESCRIBED BY OTHER PHYSICIANS.

Q: Can my Surgeon, Neurologist of Family Practice Doctor refer me to your practice?
A: Yes.  In fact while we will consider self referrals, depending on whether our Doctors believe they can assist them, we encourage referrals from other practitioners.  There is a link on the home page to explain the process, but simply we ask for the referring physicians records indicating the reasons for the referral and any medications being prescribed, and any imaging (X-Rays, MRI, CT etc.).  If you have insurance which requires a referral you would need to contact your primary care physician’s office or insurance company to arrange for the specialist referral.

Q: Do you accept insurance?
A: Yes.  We accept most insurance plans as in-network providers.  There is a list on the Insurance Plan tab on our home page.  We are also in network with the major Workers Compensation carriers.  As a patient you are responsible for any insurance company referrals required by your policy (typically HMO policies), and any co-pay, co-insurance and deductable payments that are as contracted with your insurance carrier.

Q: How soon can I get an appointment?
A: We are not a walk in clinic so there is a process to go through before your first appointment.  Typically we will contact you within 48 hours of receiving your doctors referral or you calling in for the first time as a self-referral.  If you have an acute (recent injury) condition that has not been treated by other physicians we will likely get you in to see our Doctor within a couple of days.  If you have a chronic (long standing) condition we will need to get records from other physicians who have treated you, including any imaging (X-Ray, MRI, CT etc) and surgery reports.  Once we have these in hand (and you will be asked to help facilitate the release of these records to us) you can be seen in our office within 2 to 5 days typically.

Q: What else will I need to do before my appointment?
A: There are a few items of paperwork that we ask you to complete either ahead of your appointment, through a secure website link that we can email to you, or in the office at the time of your appointment.
On the day of your appointment you will need to bring any imaging films or CD’s that you have obtained as these will typically not be mailed to us from the imaging or physician’s office.  This will greatly enhance the diagnostic and treatment process.