Office-Based Pain Procedures as an Alternative to ASCs

While office-based pain procedures are not as high paying as they used to be, Nameer R. Haider, MD, founder of Spinal & Skeletal Pain Medicine, had little choice. He operates in upstate New York and Washington, D.C., which are both heavily regulated CON jurisdictions where it is difficult to open an ASC. Dr. Haider spoke at the 9th Annual Orthopedic, Spine and Pain-Management Driven ASC Conference in Chicago.

Dr. Haider set up his office for pain procedures and was one of the first pain physicians to install fluoroscopy in the office. However, he warned that physicians who want to do office-based surgery have to get special state designation, depending on levels of anesthesia and complexity of procedures. Some states, such as New York, require accreditation by the Joint Commission or AAAHC for offices that use conscious sedation.

Noting that state regulations have a big impact on the relatively young field of pain management, Dr. Haider has made a point of getting involved in some state policy-making. As states set reimbursement rules for worker’s compensation cases, pain physicians’ input is crucial because physician advisory panels have often relied on occupational medicine physicians whose views do not always mesh with pain physicians’ goals, Dr. Haider said.

Learn more about Spinal & Skeletal Pain Medicine.

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