A possible explanation for the increase is that more primary care physicians are now performing complex interventional procedures, according to the release. Currently, insurers are paying non-trained physicians who perform these interventions at the same rate as fellowship-trained interventional pain physicians.
Nationally, there was a 277.3 percent increase in general physicians utilizing facet joint interventions and a 99.5 percent annual increase in nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists performing the interventions between 2002 and 2006. The number of Medicare paitents receiving facet joint injections increased by 543 percent. The total expenditures for that population increased from more than $229 million in 2002 to more than $511 million in 2006.
“The situation is not improving, as most patients and insurance companies don’t know how to differentiate a well-trained and ethical pain physician from a pretend pain physician,” said Jay Joshi, MD, a fellowship-trained anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician, and president and CEO of National Pain Centers, in the release. He also warns that some physicians are performing interventional procedures without fluoroscopy, which guides the injection needle, in order to receive higher reimbursement for the bundled treatment.
Related Articles on Pain Management:
Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti: Where Pain Management is Now and Where Its Headed
Pain Management Physician Compensation: 5 Points on Who Makes the Most
Norwood Hospital Opens Pain Management Center
