Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
about Pain Management

General FAQs

What are your hours?
Where are you located?
How do I make an appointment?
Why do I need a referral?
What types of doctors are in the pain clinic?
What is the Chronic Pain Support Group?

Treatment FAQs

What happens at the first appointment?
Will I be treated on the first visit?
Am I going to get a "cortisone shot?"
Do you write chronic pain medications?
Why do I need a ride home?
Do you do "radio-frequency" ablation?

Medication FAQs

Will my pain doctor act as my primary care physician?
Do you prescribe chronic pain medications?
Do you detox?
How do I go about having my medication refilled?

General FAQs

What are your hours?
Our hours are 8 am to 3:30 pm Monday thru Friday. If the office is closed, you may leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as possible. If you have a medical emergency or an urgent problem, a SSAA anesthesiologist is available 24-hours per day at South Shore Hospital via the SSH operator (781-340-8000).

Where are you located?
We are located on the fourth floor of the West Wing at South Shore Hospital. Directions to the Pain Center, escorts, and wheelchairs can be found at the concierge desk in the hospital lobby.

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How do I make an appointment?
For new patients, a referring physician MUST request a consultation/evaluation with a pain management physician. Your doctor should mail or fax all pertinent medical history, including X-ray reports, surgical reports, prior consultations, etc.

Why do I need a referral?
A referral is required for several reasons. The most important, however is to provide the evaluating pain management physician with all relevant history and data so that the consultation is productive and focused on the patient and his/her pain problem.

What types of doctors are in the pain clinic?
Our clinic is staffed by four board-certified anesthesiologists with additional board certification in pain management.

What is the Chronic Pain Support Group?
Originally called the "R.S.D. Support Group," this patient led group was developed by Carol Sansone, RN and Dr. James Wechsler. New and previous members are encouraged to come and participate or to just listen in a informal setting. Each meeting usually begins with a guest speaker. The group meets the last Tuesday of every month at South Shore Hospital. Please call the Pain Center for additional information (781) 340-8352.

Treatment FAQs

What happens at the first appointment?
At your first visit, you will meet with a pain management nurse who will review your pain problem and medical history. A pain management physician will then perform a history and physical examination and then review any test or x-ray results. The doctor will then offer a treatment plan based on his assessment.

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Will I be treated on the first visit?
In most cases, patients are treated on the first visit. Notable exceptions include workers compensation cases and treatments that must be performed in the operating room or radiology suite.

Am I going to get a "cortisone shot?"
Many of the injections performed in our center include the use of a steroid medication. Cortisone is no longer used for these types of injections; another steroid called depo-medrol is the most commonly used. Your doctor may decide that a procedure involving depo-medrol is advised.

Do you write chronic pain medications?
In short, no. In early 2000, due to the closing of several area pain clinics, our center saw a tremendous increase in patient referrals. Our waiting list for new appointments exceeded eight weeks. Many of the patients we were seeing in follow-up were on stable doses of medications. For that reason, we decided that the patients' primary or referring physician could follow all patients on stable doses of (narcotic and non-narcotic) medications. Our staff is committed to being available for immediate re-evaluation should issues arise involving these medications.

Why do I need a ride home?
Many procedures performed here can cause associated numbness, weakness, and/or loss of position sense, which can make the ability to operate an automobile difficult. It is our policy that every patient who has an invasive procedure must have a ride home.

Do you do "radio-frequency ablation?"
No. Our center does not own a radio-frequency system; we will often refer appropriate candidates for radio-frequency to a center that does.

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Medication FAQs

Will my pain doctor act as my primary care physician?
No.

Do you prescribe chronic pain medications?
Yes. We are often asked to evaluate or establish medication regimens for patients with chronic pain. This can usually be established in one or more office visits. After that, the prescription writing is usually turned over to the referring or primary physician.

Do you detox?
No. Legally, only qualified physicians may perform detoxification from narcotic substances.

How do I go about having my medication refilled?
You may dial the pain center directly and after the prompt for medication refills, leave a message. In general, there is no call back unless there is a question about the refill. The prescription is written with in 48 hours and is available for pick-up on the third business day after leaving the message. Patients are advised to call at least 72 hours prior to the date of refill.

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