Dear Patients, Last week, I wrote a blog about the new Medicare changes to pain management. Keep in mind that typically, private insurances follow Medicare’s lead, at least in part, when it comes to authorizations for treatment. After I wrote that blog, I did what we all should do whenever we write about subject that… Read more »
Category: Basch’s Blog
Chronic Pain and Medicare Coverage
Dear Patients, Another short but not so sweet blog for you to, I hope, act upon ASAP. Medicare (coverage for the elderly and/or the disabled) in addition to forbidding the use of sedation for patients undergoing injections, is now forbidding the epidural use of Depo-medrol, our longest lasting corticosteroid. The recommended replacement, Decadron, typically has… Read more »
Don’t Forget to Grab Your Boots
Dear Patients, This is going to be the shortest piece I’ll ever write. Here goes. I didn’t take my own advice about grippers on my outdoor boots and shoes. This week was really our first “hard snow” weeks. It’s Michigan, it’s November, so it’s freezing. Thinking I’d be ahead of the game, I grabbed my… Read more »
Winter Prepping
Dear Patients, With all of the unfortunate changes we face as doctors and patients in chronic pain management, it is easy to forget about what we CAN control. Winter is fast approaching, so it behooves us to review some very basic but nonetheless critical self-help maneuvers. So, without further ado, here they are: Boot/Shoe Traction… Read more »
Opioids For Chronic Pain
Dear Patients, I’ve been practicing pain management since 1994, and as is the case with all of us who have spent many years in the same occupation, I’ve learned a few absolutes. Here are three of them: Opioids are still the primary analgesic/painkiller available to us, and most of the time, they either help some… Read more »