Re: pain management

In Reply to: pain management posted by Kymm Armbruster on October 22, 2000 at 11:10:44:

Insist on both a second opinion outside your medical group, which is covered by insurance, and also insist on a pain management specialist. Medication dependence is not the same as addiction.
I know it is hard to stand up for yourself when hurting, but we have to be our own health care advocates.

If you are in CA, here is a toll free number for HMO complaints:
1 800 400 0815

They may be able to refer you to numbers for other states. I have gotten immediate action whenever I have used this. Once it was because a doctor would not refer me for Chiropractic care when it was clearly covered in my insurance.

The hotline covers delays in referals for specialized care, delays in authorizations for care, denial of care. It is mostly HMO related, but they may be able to refer you if that is not your primary pronblem.
Also, feel free to change doctors. You can complain to your insurance company about refusal to treat, too, as they have an appeals process.
Write lots of letters and joural your pain and limitations from the pain, as descriptively as possible.