Frequently Asked Questions

It is very important for all patients currently on a pain medicine regimen to bring in all current pain medications in their original bottles. We also ask that you bring your driver’s license, insurance card, co-payment, and any medical records that have not already been faxed.

New patient appointments vary due to location, provider availability, and the patient’s schedule. Because this is a pain management practice, we make every effort to see the patient as soon as possible, appointments may be scheduled as soon as 24 to 48 hours after the initial call.

The Pain Center must perform appropriate and required diligence to investigate each patient’s claim regarding their medication prescriptions. This process will require confirmation of the medication regimen with the original prescriber of the medication. Documentation regarding the data of the most recent prescription(s) with the number prescribed and any refills noted will be reviewed. Issues of previous noncompliance with narcotics or medications prescribed will need to be reviewed. A written note from the patient’s prescribing practitioner or PCP requesting The Pain Center to assume care of the narcotic regimen will be required. This process may require up to two weeks depending on the ease of access to the information. The Pain Center WILL NOT prescribe a narcotic regimen until the appropriate investigation is complete.

Yes, unless you are requesting a specific provider.

Normally monthly, but it depends on your specific treatment plan.

Your treatment plan and care will be overseen by one of our Pain Specialists and will be implemented at each visit by one of our clinical staff members, including our valued Advanced Care Practitioners. If at any time during your treatment plan you would like your visit to be scheduled with a TPC Physician, please feel free to ask and we will do what we can within the schedule to accommodate your request.

A follow-up office visit at The Pain Center lasts about 15 minutes, but please allow time for check-in and prescription refill.

Most insurance requires medical dictation that demonstrates and supports the medical necessity of an intervention procedure performed at The Pain Center. The waiting period for authorization typically includes time for The Pain Center Provider to dictate the medical necessity for the procedure and the receipt and review of documentation by your insurance carrier prior to approval.

All physicians at The Pain Center are fellowship trained specialists and are able to perform all of the interventional procedures offered here.

Potential side effects to most procedures are minimal, and specific details will be reviewed with you by your physician prior to any procedure.

7 – 10 business days, depending on your insurance.

Most of our patients are given a 15 – 30 minute recovery period in our supervised recovery room immediately following each procedure. Most patients can return to work the same day as the procedure is performed. Certain interventional procedures that are more aggressive may require a short recovery period with rest at home prior to returning to normal activities.

For all procedures performed with sedation, you MUST have a responsible driver to take you home. For procedures without sedation, it is always helpful to have a driver available should you need one, however, it is not mandatory.

Your driver must be 18 years or older and must REMAIN in the clinic at all times.

Do not drive or drink alcohol or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours after sedation.

If you are using a transportation service, you MUST be accompanied by a responsible passenger age 18 years or older.

For appropriate continuation of care, we prefer that all injections be performed by your pain physician on record. If your regular physician is unavailable on a regularly scheduled return visit, we will make every effort to accommodate you with another physician if necessary.

For the most part, yes. The only exception would be blood thinners. If you are on blood thinners, please discuss this with the Pain Physician, as these will likely need to be stopped for a period of time before your procedure.

When receiving sedation, you should not eat (6 hours) prior to procedure but it is OK to take scheduled medications as prescribed. You may have clear liquids up to (2 hours) prior to procedure. Any questions regarding this policy should be addressed with our clinical team prior to arriving for your procedure.

Most procedures take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Some of our more intricate interventional procedures may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Each patient procedure, along with risks, benefits and alternatives, is discussed prior to each procedure.

Please contact TPC directly at 623.516.8252 to discuss your specific treatment plan.

Please contact TPC directly at 623.516.8252 to discuss your specific treatment plan.

Yes, as long as they are listed on the HIPAA form you fill out with your patient paperwork. If you have not listed someone whom you want to grant permissions, please see the front desk next time you are in for an appointment and they will be happy to assist you in filling out any needed information. They also must provide positive identification when picking up the prescription.

As a general rule, medications, and specifically narcotic medications, are not refilled without an office visit at The Pain Center, unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon with your provider.

You will be billed by The Pain Center, P.C.

Urinary drug screens and sedation services are services that are provided by contracted companies we work with. These services will be billed separately from The Pain Center, P.C.

A list of insurances can be found on our website, but if you have any questions please contact our Billing Office at (623) 691-8500.

No, co-payment is due at the time of service. All deductibles and additional co-pays will be further billed after your insurance assessment.

Your provider needs to order a PT evaluation through the referral department, and then the referral department will get authorization for the referral and send it to a contracted facility.

No, unless your insurance company does not require a referral.

Due to the medical nature of diagnostic studies, your MRI results will be discussed with you at the first follow-up appointment after your MRI is completed.

Celéri Health is a clinically-validated Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) assessment, engagement, and education platform that couples reimbursement with longitudinal outcomes reporting.

• Helps clinicians track patient progress, tailor care, and have more impactful conversations with patients
• Enhances patient outcomes
• Customizes & streamlines workflows
• Collects insights that evolve care
• Facilitates collaboration for research
• Integrates seamlessly with our EMR

The Celéri Health platform sends the carefully chosen assessments directly to TPC patients directly by text or email on the providers preferred schedule. Since Celéri integrates with the TPC chart results automatically load into the patient record for immediate review. There is no additional cost to you or your insurance for this benefit.

TPC providers have requested that the PROMIS29 survey be completed once every 60 days by all patients.

Patients that are scheduled for a surgical procedure may be asked to complete specific measures starting just before surgery and continuing at regular intervals for up to years, even when the patient no longer experiences any pain.

TPC is confident that the partnership with Celéri Health is an important part of your treatment and also a great way to improve pain management for everyone. However, if you choose not to participate, please send a quick email to celeri@thepaincenter.com and future surveys will be discontinued.

Yes.

7:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

No, we have a phone tree that directs the patient to the appropriate department so that each call can be directed appropriately. Please call our main number at 623.516.8252.

Our Wellness Program treatment professionals are dedicated to helping patients minimize and overcome the cognitive, emotional and neurochemical barriers created by pain. We will assist you in developing coping strategies that are personally meaningful and can help change the way you respond to and manage your pain.

It is required that you check in 15 minutes prior to a regular office visit or a procedure being performed without sedation. If you are having a procedure with sedation, we ask that you arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. We ask that you come in prior to your scheduled time so that the appropriate administrative and clinical paperwork can be completed and ready for your procedure as well as any pre-procedural tasks that need to be completed. Failure to arrive at the requested time may result in cancellation of your appointment.

Medical Device Fraud – Warning

It has come to our attention that various organizations are contacting individuals by phone or mail, offering back braces and/or knee braces and claiming these braces are covered by Medicare, Medicaid or other insurance programs. These individuals are not associated with The Pain Center and are part of a scam being investigated by the Better Business Bureau.

Please be aware that if your doctor believes a brace is medically necessary, they will discuss this with you in person during one of your appointments. Your doctor or a representative from The Pain Center will not contact you about a brace by phone or mail.

The Pain Center takes this matter very seriously. We hope that by alerting our patients, this will stop them from falling victim to this scam. If you receive a phone call or a post card in the mail from anyone claiming to be from “The Pain Center,” please call our offices at 623.516.8252.

• Our secure Patient Portal website makes it easy for you to manage your care with us. Once you set up an account, you can conveniently:
• Request and confirm appointments
• Fill out forms to save time
• Communicate with our staff about appointments or results
• Send a secure message to your provider 
• Pay your bill online, and much more

You will receive a ‘Portal Access’ email before your first appointment, or you can request an account directly on the Patient Portal homepage.

• It’s easy to request a Patient Portal account. Once you have given us your email address, you will receive an email with the subject line ‘Portal Access.’
• To set up your account, click the portal link provided in the email and follow the instructions. 
• Use your email address as the User ID in the Login section in the top right corner of the portal along with the temporary password. You will be prompted to change your password.

Please note, occasionally the email with your password will appear in your junk or spam folder. If you have any issues, contact us and we will assist you.

Your User ID (or username) is the email address you provided when you set up your Patient Portal account. Call us for help if you continue to receive the username/password error message.

Click ‘Forgot Password.’ Enter your User ID/email and the anti-spam code to have a new password emailed to you. You can also contact our office in Phoenix/Prescott at 623-516-8252 or Tucson at 520-333-4030 to update your password.

• If you gave us an email previously, or receive emails from The Pain Center clinic, click ‘Forgot Password’ and follow the instructions to set a new password. 
• Each Patient Portal account requires a unique email address. If you share an email with someone and they have a portal account with The Pain Center using that same email address, you will need to enter a different email address to set up your personal account. If your email is not associated with another account, contact The Pain Center in Phoenix/Prescott at 623-516-8252 or Tucson at 520-333-4030 to verify the email on the account before creating a new one.

If you receive the message that your DOB is incorrect, please call our office at in Phoenix/Prescott at 623-516-8252 or Tucson at 520-333-4030 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

When you receive an email informing you a new document is available on the Patient Portal, you can see it on the Documents page in the left hand navigation. Click the ‘Document’ file. Once the page loads, you can see documents sent to your portal within the last two months. To see a document sent more than two months ago, change the date range at the top of the page.

The privacy of your personal health information is important to us. Our Patient Portal is HIPAA compliant, encrypted and password-protected to secure your medical records and communication with your provider. Do not share your login information. Through portal monitoring, we protect access and watch for any unusual activity on the portal.

Only your Clinical Visit Summary is available on the Patient Portal. No other records are viewable. If you need access to your chart or imaging files, The Pain Center has partnered with Sharecare Health Data Services to fulfill your request for records. Click here for information on how to request records.

Patient accounts in certain statuses cannot request appointments. Please call our office in Phoenix/Prescott at 623-516-8252 or Tucson at 520-333-4030 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. We can schedule the appointment for you and verify your account status.

Login to the Patient Portal and click on the ‘Forms’ tab on the left hand side of the screen. Once on this page there will be a section of instructions at the top. Follow the instructions to be sure you complete the correct form(s). Please plan to arrive 5 minutes before your appointment to complete your check in.

Be sure to click ‘Save and Finish Later’ before leaving the site. The information will not be saved automatically. For the forms to be ready for your appointment, you must click ‘Complete’ once you finish filling out the form.

Recent appointment dates will appear in the Patient Portal once the billing is complete for that visit. If you need access to your Clinical Visit Summary, contact our office at 623-516-8252 for the Phoenix/Prescott or 520-333-4030 for the Tucson clinic.

To request ezStatements access to see recent Pain Center statements, log onto the Patient Portal. Click ‘Settings’ in the left hand navigation. Choose ‘ezStatements’, and click ‘Update’ to complete the request. If you meet the criteria to receive a statement, you will receive ezStatements in your portal account under the ‘Billing’ tab during the next statement cycle.

Patient accounts with certain statuses are not able to sign up for ezStatements. Please call our Billing Office at 623-241-6169, and we can help you get set up for ezStatements and determine your current status.

To view your statement on the Patient Portal, the following two things must have been true before the statement period in question:

• You are signed up for ezStatements 
• You have a balance over $4.99 

Please call our Billing Office at 623-241-6169 if you have questions about your account.

We do not send statements for balances $4.99 or less. If you believe your balance is higher or this is an error, please call our Billing Office at 623-241-6169.