Pain Management

Patients with intractable pain caused by a number of disease processes, including reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), failed back syndrome, and cancer sometimes require the placement of an implanted intrathecal pump to deliver highly concentrated doses of medication to manage the intense pain. Many of these patients can be appropriately managed through their physician's office; however, a significant number have extreme difficulty accessing traditional healthcare services and can benefit from Pentec Health's in-home Specialty Infusion Service.

Some of the major clinical and patient care benefits of our service for this specialized population include:

• 24 x 7 x 365 on-call service to respond to patient and physician concerns;

• Use of a primary care nursing model to provide continuity of care and individualized case management to patients;

• Detailed initial assessment and individualized pain assessment utilizing the VAS process;

• Monthly or weekly (depending on need) telephone consultations with patients between refills to assess patient's on-going needs;

• Pump refills and adjustments provided at the location selected by patient or their caregiver (home, office, school);

• Prompt communication to the primary care physician regarding patient status following refills and adjustments, using the VAS reporting mechanism.