PSGC is now involved with the Intracept Procedure! Explore information on this procedure that is proven to reduce chronic low back pain, via clicking the links below:
Intracept Procedure Quick Overview <– Click here for a short summary to see if the procedure has potential for you!
Intracept In Depth Presentation <– Interested in what the Intracept Procedure has to offer after viewing the summary? Click the link to view a robust breakdown of all facets of Intracept!
If you suffer from chronic back and leg pain, and
have not found relief from conservative treatments,
your physician may have recommended minimally
invasive spinal fusion. Please click here to view details on this procedure.
We would like to invite you to our HIPAA SECURE patient portal – a password protected web communication tool.
See the new portal at http://portal.painchicago.com
What is our Patient Portal?
On this web portal you may securely:
Request appointments
Confirm appointment
Enter or modify personal information
Communicate regarding medical questions, prescription refills, referrals and lab results
Communicate with our office staff
Pay your bill (We accept Debit Cards, Visa, Mastercard and Discover)
You have two options for logging in:
Individual Accounts
Single patients may login for themselves
Family Accounts
Adults and their family members who share one email address may access the portal through this login. This may also include two adult patients who share the same email address.
Family Login Request
NEW PATIENTS
You may start the registration process under “New Patients start here”. A new patient is someone who has not previously been seen at Pain Specialists of Greater Chicago.
ESTABLISHED PATIENTS
If you are currently a patient who has previously provided a correct email address, you can now use this portal for those portal functions listed above. For medical emergencies, please call us directly. DO NOT USE THE PORTAL FOR ANY URGENT MEDICAL PROBLEMS.
2016 ASIPP Annaul Meeting – Innovations in IPM For Success
April 15 – 17, 2016 in Dallas, Texas
The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) had released its Opioid Guidelines for Responsible Prescribing in Chronic Non-Cancer Pain. As part its professional journal, the Pain Physician, ASIPP has created and revised guidelines for interventional techniques and opioid prescribing since 2002. The latest guidelines released today are comprehensive is a product of a multidisciplinary panel of 55 authors. These guidelines illustrate a 10-step process with comprehensive assessment and documentation, establishing medical necessity and treatment goals, recommendations for responsible opioid therapy with dose limitations, and necessity for a comprehensive and robust agreement. The guidelines include the initial steps for comprehensive assessment, including the risk assessment, steps to appropriate diagnosis, establishing medical necessity, establishing treatment goals, assessing effectiveness of opioid therapy; with informed decision making, initial treatment steps, adherence monitoring, evaluation of side effects and discontinuation or maintenance of opioid therapy on a long-term basis. It also covers the means and ways to initiate opioid therapy, specific guidelines for methadone use, and reduction in prescription drug dose.
These comprehensive two-part guidelines provide guidance on dose limitations with low dose being defined as 40 mg, moderate dose, up to 90 mg of morphine equivalence, and high dose as anything over 90 mg of morphine equivalence.
All of our physician partners work hard everyday to insure that their patients receive the highest quality care in the safest, most cost effective environment. The ASC outpatient model is a great method for achieving this goal.
All of us here at Regent would like to congratulate ten of our physician partners who were recognized among 106 Physician Leaders in the ASC Industry by Becker’s ASC Review. Their hard work helps our industry, as well as the Regent Surgical Health partner facilities, achieve the great outcomes we are known for.
Douglas R. Dodson, DO. Dr. Dodson practices orthopedics at Alamogordo Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in New Mexico, where he works with patients ranging from professional athletes to “weekend warriors” to child soccer players. Dr. Dodson earned his DO from Western University of Health Sciences in California and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Michigan State University. He also undertook a fellowship in joint replacement surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. His special interests include hip and knee reconstruction, back pain, arthritis, foot and ankle disease, work-related injuries and anterior cruciate ligament injuries. In the Alamogordo community, he participates in local health lectures and coaches amateur sports teams. Dr. Dodson is the former chief of staff of Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital and serves on the board of directors for Alamogordo Physicians Cooperative. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopaedics and the New Mexico Orthopaedic Association.
James L. Fox, Jr., MD. Dr. Fox is the founding leader of the Ravine Way Surgery Center in Glenview, Ill., and practices at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has been practicing for more than 20 years. His clinical interests include general orthopedic surgery, including fracture care and arthroscopy, as well as orthopedic oncology. Dr. Fox received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He completed a fellowship in orthopedic oncology at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York, and joint replacement at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago. He completed his residency with, and serves as assistant professor and associate clinical professor at, Northwestern University Medical School in Evanston, Ill. He also holds an instructor position at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Ill.
Eric J. Freeh, DO. Dr. Freeh practices orthopedics at Alamogordo Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in New Mexico. As the former team physician for the Phoenix Suns professional basketball team, he has the experience to provide his patients with “the finest orthopedic care possible,” according to the center’s website. Dr. Freeh earned his DO from Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery and completed an internship at Hillcrest Osteopathic Hospital. He also undertook an orthopedic surgery residency at Botsford General Hospital in Farmington, Mich. Dr. Freeh specializes in trauma surgery, shoulder injury and osteoporosis and has successfully treated thousands of fractures. In addition to his clinical work, he serves as an examiner for the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, is a member of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry and is a faculty member at the Association for Study of Internal Fixation.
Scott E. Glaser, MD, FIPP. Dr. Glaser is a well-respected pain specialist and founder of the Pain Specialists of Greater Chicago in Burr Ridge, Ill. He serves as director on the national board of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and was heavily involved in the lobbying efforts required to ensure passage of the NASPER bill and still works closely with the Illinois Department of Health and the chief pharmacist to implement the program in Illinois. Dr. Glaser was one of the first instructors selected by the International Spinal Intervention Society, the first society to provide training by experts in the performance of spinal injections. As an instructor, he teaches other physicians minimally invasive spinal procedures on cadavers at national courses. He also presents continuing medical education lectures at ASIPP meetings. Dr. Glaser received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He completed his anesthesia residency and fellowship at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.
James J. Lynch, MD, FACS. Dr. Lynch is the president, founder and CEO of SpineNevada based in Reno, Nev., and he also serves as the director of spine service for Regent Surgical Health. He is a board-certified neurological surgeon with 18 years of experience who specializes in complex spine surgery, cervical disorders, degenerative spine, spinal deformities, trauma, tumor infection and minimally invasive spine surgery. He is on staff at St. Mary’s Hospital and Renown Medical Center, both located in Reno. He is one of only a handful of spine surgeons with three fellowships in the specialty of spine surgery and has been published in leading journals including Spine: Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery. Dr. Lynch is a frequent lecturer at national meetings on spine topics related to ASCs. He earned his medical degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and completed a residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Lynch completed spine fellowships from Mayo Clinic, Queen Square in London and Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Ariz.
David J. Raab, MD. Dr. Raab is the founder, president and CEO of the Illinois Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Surgery Center in Morton Grove, Ill., and an orthopedic surgeon with Illinois Bone and Joint Institute in Des Plaines, Ill. He specializes in orthopedic surgery in sports medicine, total joint replacement and arthroscopy, among other areas of interest. He holds an academic appointment as assistant professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Raab received his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and completed his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at Northwestern. He completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Minneapolis Sports Medicine Center.
Herbert Riemenschneider, MD. Dr. Riemenschneider is the principal physician at Riverside Urology and the founder of Knightsbridge Surgery Center, both in Columbus, Ohio. He is a urologic surgeon, a dedicated patient advocate and an innovator in delivering superior urologic care. He currently is a member of the faculty at Ohio State University in Columbus, clinical assistant professor of Urology at OSU’s College of Medicine and director of urologic education at Riverside Methodist Hospitals. A local pioneer in cryosurgical ablation for treatment of prostate cancer, he performed the first prostate cryoablation in Ohio. Dr. Riemenschneider received his medical degree from the OSU College of Medicine and completed his residency in urology at Indiana University in Indianapolis.
Kent Sasse, MD, MPH, FACS. Dr. Sasse is one of the leading bariatric physicians in the country, serves as the director of the Western Bariatric Institute in Reno, Nev., and is an attending surgeon at several hospitals in the area. He is the founder of the International Metabolic Institute, which seeks to bring individuals state-of-the-art medical and scientific principles of physiologic weight reduction. Dr. Sasse is the author of two recent books titled Life-Changing Weight Loss and Doctor’s Orders: 101 Medically Proven Tips for Losing Weight. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, a master’s in health and medical sciences at UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program and an MPH in epidemiology from UC-Berkeley School of Public Health. Dr. Sasse completed his residency at the UCSF department of surgery and his fellowship at the Lahey Clinic department of colon and rectal surgery in Burlington, Mass.
Jeffrey L. Visotsky, MD, FACS. Dr. Visotsky is a member of Illinois Bone and Joint Institute and founder of the Morton Grove (Ill.) Surgery Center. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and specializes in conditions of the hand, elbow and shoulder, arthroscopy shoulder/elbow, shoulder reconstruction and replacement, among other areas. Dr. Visotsky serves as assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago and an instructor in the physicians assistant department of the Finch University of Health Sciences Chicago Medical School. He also holds a position as a special consultant in the division of specialized care for children at the University of Illinois in Chicago, specializing in hand and upper extremity care. He received his medical degree from Northwestern University and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and his fellowship in hand and upper extremity microsurgery at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Robert Welti, MD. Dr. Welti is the corporate medical director and Senior Vice President, Operations, for Westchester, Ill.-based Regent Surgical Health. He served as the medical director and administrator of the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Surgery Center and was affiliated with Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for 20 years. He has worked in both hospital-based surgery centers and smaller physician-owned ASCs. A board-certified anesthesiologist, Dr. Welti earned his medical degree from Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, where he also served his internship and residency and completed his fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesia at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
In an effort to help local community causes, Pain Specialists of Greater Chicago has made a donation in support of the Hinsdale Rotary Run Charity Event. The physicians of Pain Specialists of Greater Chicago are honored to support an organization such as the Hinsdale Rotary Club. “The Rotary Run Charity Classic is an experience that unifies the entire community and we are committed to being a good neighbor in our community,” says Dr. Scott Glaser. The race begins at The Community House at 8am on Sunday, October 17th, with events scheduled throughout the morning.
For more information about the race please visit
http://www.rotaryruncharityclassic.org/intraining.php
In a new White House study, a 400 percent jump in substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription pain relievers between 1998 and 2008.
Los Angeles
Prescription drug abuse is not just on the rise it has become a national crisis, according to a just-released White House study detailing a 400 percent increase in substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription pain relievers between 1998 and 2008.
The non-medical use of prescription pain relievers is now the second-most prevalent form of illicit drug use in America and its tragic consequences are seen in substance abuse treatment centers and hospital emergency departments throughout our nation, says Pamela Hyde, administrator of The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in a statement.
The statistics are being released to highlight a problem that has become all too familiar through the high-profile deaths of such celebrities as Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith. But the problem affects all ages and socioeconomic strata, says Dr. Scott Glaser, president of Pain Specialists of Greater Chicago.
From 1994 to 2003, the number of prescriptions for controlled substances rose from 22 million to 354 million annually, says Dr. Glaser. The number of admissions for misuse of prescription painkillers to hospital emergency rooms rose from some 40,000 in 1994 to over 300,000 in 2008, he adds.
There has been a strong push among doctors in recent years to be more aggressive in addressing pain, he notes. This has led to the dramatic increase in opiates such as morphine, but the problem is there hasnt been a whole lot of science to go along with that.
The abuse of these strong drugs is an indication of a much more widespread cultural problem, says addiction specialist Clare Kavin of The Waismann Method, a treatment center for opiate dependency, which has treated many celebrity addicts.
We are in a culture of immediate gratification and nobody will put up with even the slightest discomfort anymore, she says. This underlying attitude leads many patients to push for stronger painkillers when lower strength but non-addictive drugs would have sufficed in the past, she adds.
We are in a perfect nightmare, says Andrea Barthwell, who has advised the White House on national drug policies. Many of the factors that have come together to fuel this explosive problem such as the lack of effective monitoring of prescriptions not just between doctors, but between pharmacies, and from state to state have been well known for years.
Glaser points out that a federal monitoring program was signed into law in 2005 but funding has languished ever since. Glaser and his colleagues from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians are just back from lobbying on Capitol Hill for $55 million to fund the program, which they say will pay for itself in five years.
Currently some 37 states have some form of monitoring, Glaser says, but they are inconsistent and lead to widespread abuse. He points to widespread practices such as:
Easy access to prescription drugs through the Internet.
Caravans of people crossing state lines Florida is well known for its open-door clinics with easy access to drugs.
Street sales fueled by lax oversight.
Teens selling prescription drugs to each other
The increasing potency of presciption drugs can lead to what Ms. Barthwell calls a frightening and unprecedented scenario: In the past, the number of people exposed to opiate-level highs was very narrow, she says. But now, with a wide cross-section of the population for the first time experiencing this kind of dependency, we are seeing a record number of people turning to heroin when they can no longer afford the more expensive prescription drugs.
The data released Thursday highlight how serious a threat to public health we face from the abuse of prescription drugs, said Gil Kerlikowske, National Drug Policy Director, in a statement. The spikes in prescription drug abuse rates captured by this study are dramatic, pervasive, and deeply disturbing, he adds.