Philosophy of the
clinic practice...
Over many years of treating patients with headache, migraine
and many kinds of pain flareup, it became very frustrating
to admit 200 patients per year to a very large urban
hospital system. Precerting and admitting through the
emergency room during the headache and flareup disrupted the
patient care in the office clinic setting. Dealing with
multiple kinds of delays, inefficiencies, nursing problems
and barriers to getting the job done in a timely manner on
behalf of the patient, who was there to have their symptoms
treated. The main negative feeling and conclusion was that
the hospital is NOT the real world for the patient. It was
felt a new treatment system had to be developed. After all,
it is the same distance for the person to go to the ER or to
come to Anodyne Headache and PainCare.
About 11 years ago, Dr Krusz
began to expand on the smaller number of patients treated
with IV therapy by himself in the outpatient setting. The
new office was in a converted former home with a cozy
setting, very different from the hospital-based office that
was used before this transformation. Seeing the same
practitioner and staff consistently that cared about your
symptoms is a more nurturing experience for the patient.
Dimmable lighting, a quiet environment, lights out during
treatment is homelike and soothing. It is not just about the
medication approaches used in the clinic, but I believe that
the treatment environment becomes very important as well.
Very simply, Anodyne
Headache and PainCare is more efficient, gets much more
effective treatment results than other settings, and is more
caring for the patient’s needs and is significantly less
expensive. Often, people will call us with a headache,
migraine or pain flareup and they can be brought in to the
clinic within the hour, depending on distance in our area.
People have jumped on a plane from further away and gone
back home the same day. Texas is a huge place but we do have
a very efficient Southwest Airline system. You can get to
Anodyne Headache and PainCare from anywhere in Texas or
neighboring states in a short time with inexpensive fares.
We have a host of IV
treatments available and some of them, if they help, can
even be given by the patient or by family or in an ER
setting. Some of our medications are specific to the clinic
and not readily available. In many ways the reduction or
eradication of migraines and pain flareups use some of the
same IV medications in the clinic setting. You can find more
information about IV treatments XXXXXXX
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Beginning treatment...
Although we do not
belong to any plan insurance structures, the business office
is sensitive to costs and will help with filing of your
claim to recover the maximum from your carrier. In this way,
precious time to definitive treatment is not wasted while
you are suffering in trying to precertify emergency
treatment during a flareup. Above all, you will not be
trapped in a hospital for treatment of headaches, migraines
and pain. A 3-4 day stay with Anodyne Headache and PainCare
is common, but sometimes can be extended a bit. Or, people
will come back for another course of treatment.
On Day 1, we
will do a thorough intake of your symptoms and prior
treatments. The average number of practitioners previously
seen is about 5.7, with an average of 7 medication attempts.
Visitors from out-of-town can choose from at least 3
hotels/motels very nearby with van services to the office. A
good percentage of our new patients learn about us from the Internet.
See, for example,
MyMigraineConnection.com where I have written an “Ask
the Clinician” column with the webhost, Dr. Teri Robert. As
with new patients from the Dallas area, If you have a
significant ongoing migraine or pain issue, we can begin IV
treatment during the initial visit. Sometimes, IV lines can
be kept in for several days to avoid re-insertion. We have a
strong focus for helping sleep patterns early in our
treatment strategy.
On Day 2, out of town patients
return to continue treatment; sometimes, two treatments (AM
and PM) can be done in the same day. We will be cleaning up
old and ineffective medications and working on the quality
of sleep. Discussions of newer treatment strategies can take
a while. If there might be a self-administered medication
offered, the nursing staff can begin giving a dose in the
muscle and teaching patients how to give themselves the
medication at home, avoiding the need to run to a local ER.
Day 4 would treat again and
lock in a tentative game that would be re-enforced by a
telephone follow-up in 1-2 weeks by our staff. We encourage
call-ins to discuss dosing, any side effects or other
problems, and also with any good news. Keeping headache and
sleep diaries will be taught as a regular way to keep up
with the ebb and flow of your symptoms. If our initial
projected success for your symptoms is slow in coming, we
can extend the visit for you. We usually suggest getting an
open-ended airplane ticket from the longer distances. This
is far less of a problem with Southwest airlines in Texas
and surrounding states. We will plan regular telephone
follow-up visits and can see you anytime the pain or
headache pattern changes significantly. Of course, we will
also try to coordinate with your regular physician or find
you a headache or pain specialist in your home area.
Sometimes, the IV treatment at Anodyne Headache and PainCare
can be duplicated at your local ER or physician’s office. |