J U N E 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 0 1
T
he crackdown on opioids has
changed the way many pain
physicians practice. Instead of
reaching for their prescription pads, they're relying more
heavily on interventional pain treatments: steroid injec-
tions, joint injections, fluid injections, nerve blocks, implantable pain
devices and radio-frequency ablation.
"A decade ago, doctors misread their responsibility to treat chronic
pain," says Robert Saenz, president of VIP Medical, a San Antonio,
Texas-based consulting firm that advises pain management practices
The Changing Face of
Chronic Pain Management
The opioid epidemic is forcing pain physicians to put down their
prescription pad and embrace interventional pain treatments.
• SEE YOU IN 8 WEEKS Chronic pain procedures offer what other surgical specialties can't: repeat business.
Diane Stopyra
Contributing Editor
