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- How long has PMCNC been in existence?
- What is the overall success rate of the program
and how is it determined?
- What are the qualifications of the
physician and therapist treating me?
- Is the program covered by Medicare and other
insurance companies?
- Who developed the program of treatment?
- How is the treatment different from chiropractic
or physical therapy?
- Will I need further tests such as x-rays
or scans before I begin treatment?
- What are the benefits of the specific treatment?
- Can I take medications while in the program
and will it reduce my need for medication?
- Does the doctor need to know about all of
my medical problems and medications?
- How important is exercise to my program?
- If I need other medication for my pain who
will prescribe it?
- How soon should I begin to see results from
my treatments?
- If I miss a few sessions, will this
negate my progress to that point?
- Will my pain return after I stop treatment
and will I need further treatments in the future?
- If I have already tried physical medicine
treatments without success, how will the program be helpful?
- Will any of the treatment make my condition
worse?
- If the program does not work, what
should I do next?
- If my regular doctor is not familiar with
the program or has questions about the program, how can
he/she receive additional information?
- What kind of results can I expect?
- How long has PMCNC
been in existence?
Dr. Bell started the clinic in January 1998 in Boone, seeing a
need for a physician run non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive pain
management and rehabilitation clinic. Due to rapid acceptance
by patients in the area and much success in treating patients
with chronic pain, we have opened two satellite offices, one in
Hickory and the other in Wilkesboro. |top|
- What is the overall
success rate of the program and how is it determined?
An exit survey is done with patients enrolled in the program,
and to date over 80% of patients surveyed rate the program
an eight or higher on a scale of one to ten. |top|
- What are the qualifications
of the physician and therapist treating me?
The physicians at PMCNC are highly qualified, pain management
board certified medical doctors with years of clinical experience
diagnosing and treating patients with a variety of painful,
debilitating conditions. The therapists who administer the
treatments are also highly qualified persons with years
of clinical patient contact. The therapists have appropriate
medical credentials, and extensive training in the modalities
used in the PMCNC program. |top|
- Is the program
covered by Medicare and other insurance companies?
Physical medicine is a covered benefit based on medical
necessity under Medicare. All physicians in PMCNC accept
Medicare assignment and if you have secondary insurance,
they will usually pay the 20% not paid by Medicare. Most
commercial insurance policies have physical medicine benefits
as well. All coverage is verified prior to referral and
every effort is made to advise the patient if there are
deficiencies in their policy. |top|
- Who developed the
program of treatment?
The PMCNC program was developed by a combined group of medical
professionals, which included physicians, physical therapists,
exercise physiologists and licensed massage therapists dedicated
to providing patients with the highest quality of care.
|top|
- How is the treatment
different from chiropractic or physical therapy?
Medical doctors have more years of training compared to
chiropractors and licensed physical therapists. When our
program is compared to chiropractors: we do not use spinal
manipulation. There is good evidence that manipulation may
do more harm than benefit for certain common painful conditions.
When compared to physical therapists: our program is directly
managed and supervised by a physician who is directly involved
in the clinic and is very knowledgeable in the modalities
used. Further, our therapy tends to be more frequent and
aggressive versus traditional physical therapy, with more
direct hands-on patient treatment. This fact, plus our aggressive
use of safe, modern microcurrent electrical technology seems
to give us better results. |top|
- Will I need further
tests such as x-rays or scans before I begin treatment?
If you have recently had x-rays or scans done, the doctor
will most likely be able to use the ones you have. However,
if your tests do not show the information the doctor needs
he may require additional diagnostic procedures. |top|
- What are the benefits
of the specific treatment?
Hot and cold therapy is used primarily in conjunction with
therapeutic procedures to provide analgesia, relieve muscle spasm
and reduce inflammation and edema. Thereapeutic massage is designed
to restore muscle function, reduce epema, improve joint motion
and/or relieve muscle spasm. Electric stimulation is used for
pain control, to re-train weak muscles, reduce swelling, treat
muscle spasm and strengthen muscles. Neuromuscular reeducation
is provided to improve balance, coordination, kinesthetic sense,
posture and improve gross and fine motor coordination. Therapeutic
exercises are provided to restore the loss or restriction of joint
motion, increase muscular strength and functional capacity which
has resulted from a specific disease or injury. |top|
- Can I take medications
while in the program and will it reduce my need for medication?
It is okay to continue taking your particular pain medication(s)
while enrolled in our program; however, it is our ultimate goal
to completely eliminate your need for pain medications. Often
we are totally successful; other times we only reduce your reliance
on pain medications. It is rare that a patient completes our program
and doesn't at least reduce their need for these medications.
We at PMCNC firmly believe that routine use of such medications
is not only habit forming, but can ultimately lead to undesirable
side effects if taken too long and too regularly. Unfortunately,
this is true even for over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol
and Advil. |top|
- Does the doctor
need to know about all of my medical problems and medications?
The initial evaluation is the first step in the PMCNC program
and is for the purpose of providing the physician with valuable
information needed to determine the appropriateness, length
and duration of treatment. The more information the doctor
has, the more informed decisions he can make. |top|
- How important
is exercise to my program?
If appropriate for your condition, during the course of
office treatment you will be given therapeutic exercises
to perform at home. These exercises have been designed specifically
for your condition and are essential to increasing range
of motion and building strength and endurance. As your office
treatments progress, you should note an increasing ability
to perform these exercises. Further, when the in-office
portion of your treatment is completed, continued compliance
with these exercises will help keep your condition in check.
|top|
- If I need other
medication for my pain who will prescribe it?
The physicians at PMCNC do not take the place of
your primary care physician. We prefer to remain in a role
of specialists. As such, we want you to stay in touch with
your primary doctor and have them continue to prescribe
all medications that you may require. |top|
- How soon should
I begin to see results from my treatments?
People respond differently to treatment. Some people note improvement
after the first treatment, but this is unusual. More commonly,
it takes several treatments over a span of 2/3 weeks to begin to
note definite improvement. We also warn you that many people will
note an initial new "soreness" after the first few treatments.
This should not discourage you. This is simply a result of our
treatment "awakening" muscles and tissues that have
been inactive for a while. This initial soreness usually gives
way quickly to pain relief and increased flexibility. |top|
- If I miss a few
sessions will this negate my progress to that point?
It is extremely important that you do not miss any scheduled appointments.
Your physician has ordered treatment based on your condition and
has a written plan of treatment with specific goals and the anticipated
amount of time it wil take to reach those goals. In order for
the treatment to be the most effective it should be followed as
prescribed. We find for most conditions that a frequent 2/3 treatment
per week regimen works best. Each treatment builds on the one
before, and too much time elapses between sessions affects the
amount of overall benefit you will derive. |top|
- Will my pain return
after I stop treatment and will I need further treatments
in the future?
If appropriate to your condition, once you complete the
active phase of treatment, the PMCNC physician may enroll
you in an aftercare program here in the office. This aftercare
or "maintenance" program is designed to assist
you in remaining pain free. Your compliance with an in-office
aftercare program, home exercise regimen, and diet/weight
control often has a great effect on your ability to remain
pain free. |top|
- If I have already
tried physical medicine treatments without success, how
will the program be helpful?
Physicians and therapists at PMCNC use state-of-the-art
equipment usually not available elsewhere. This is particularly
true of our microcurrent electrical therapy. Our combination
of treatment modalities has helped many patients who have
failed other physical medicine methods, including chiropractic
care and standard physical therapy. |top|
- Will any of the
treatment make my condition worse?
The treatment is totally safe and performed under the direction
of a physician. If the physician deems the treatment inappropriate,
you will be advised at the time of your initial evaluation.
|top|
- If the program does
not work, what should I do next?
We generally know by the end of one month of therapy whether the
program is working for you. If not, you should discuss other options
with your PMCNC physician and your local primary physician. They
can advise you on other treatments that are appropriate for your
condition. |top|
- If my regular
doctor is not familiar with the program or has questions
about the program, how can he/she receive additional information?
Your physician can contact PMCNC directly at 828.262.1373 (Boone)
828.304.0444 (Hickory), or 336.903.1292 (Wilkesboro), or toll
free at 877.862.8471. We want to emphasize to your doctor that
the treatments we utilize in the office are completely safe, usually
effective, and considered mainstream modalities in modern physical
medicine with a body of medical literature to support. Further,
we want to make it clear to them that we wish to function in a
role to help them treat your painful condition, especially when
pharmaceutical medications or standard physical therapy or chiropractic
has not helped. We absolutely do not want to take the place of
your doctor. We know it is vitally important that you maintain
a good relationship with your primary care doctor. We hope we
will be good allies in your care. |top|
- What kind of results
can I expect?
The focus of the program is to provide quality care be decreasing
or eliminating pain, restoring functional ability, and increasing
the patient's range of motion, strength and endurance. Patients
improve at different rates and degree of improvement varies depending
on the condition and compliance of the patient. Over 80% of patients
surveyed rated the program 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 and
highly recommend the program to family and friends. Frankly, we
have been pleasantly surprised at the variety of painful conditions
that have been helped by our program, even some conditions that
are notoriously difficult to treat by other standard medical therapies.
We encourage you to give us a try. What have you got to lose?
Except the pain that has been hampering your life! |top|
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