Treatment of pain is an expected part of good medical practice, and all physicians should address the problem to the best of their abilities. Physicians have an obligation to 1) know about the range of therapies used to manage acute and chronic pain; 2) recognize their own level of expertise in pain assessment, treatment selection, and management; 3) understand the nature of the consultative resources in the community; and 4) refer appropriately.

A Primary Care Physician, or PCP, is the doctor you would go to on a regular basis, such as when you're simply not feeling well, or have an ear ache or the flu. A specialist is a doctor that your PCP might refer you to if the problem you have requires a doctor with more experience in a certain area.

Absolutely. Your treatments will be formulated to work in concert with allopathic medications prescribed by your doctor. In most cases, pharmaceuticals can create extreme deficiencies in certain nutrients. Testing will often show us what it will take to treat these deficiencies so that the body does not suffer from the lack of vital nutrients. Often times the addition of this medicine can allow your body to better utilize required allopathic medications.

A primary care physician specializes in the delivery of medical care to all age groups. The primary care physician in many cases also will deliver many types of gynecological care, is knowledgeable in the area of dermatology, sports medicine, gastroenterology, urology and orthopedics. In many cases the primary care physician is also able to do many types of testing in the office, including laboratory, stress testing, minor dermatological procedures.

Although you are being cared for by more than one physician, Centrex is only permitted to send the results to the ordering physician. If you would like additional copies sent to your physician, it is necessary to ask the ordering physician to write “copy to Dr.______ ".

The Premier Plan does not require you to select a PCP or require referrals. However, it is wise to establish a relationship with a doctor so he/she knows your medical history.

A Primary Care Sport Medicine Physician is a physician who has a family medicine or emergency medicine background. In addition to their basic medical training they have displayed an interest in sport medicine and have completed a 1 or 2 year sport medicine fellowship and successfully completed the requirement for the Diploma in Sport Medicine offered by the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine.

The Social Services case manager will assist the client in their selection of a primary care physician from the network of providers. This selection may be based on personal preference or proximity to home or work. In the event the client does not select a primary care physician, one will be assigned to them based on their home address.

The Fellowship program is geared toward the practices of primary care physicians, however, nearly all types of physicians benefit from participating. Pediatricians, OB/GYN, emergency medicine, opthamologists, surgeons, radiation oncologist, otolaryngologists, anesthesiologists, etc. have all been successful participants in the program and report great satisfaction from the learning experience. Yes! Please send us an email at afinfo@email.arizona.

When you first enroll, you select your PCP from your Blue Cross and Blue Shield provider directory. A provider directory is included with your enrollment materials, or you can call Member Services to learn more about a particular PCP.

Answer: Contact Member Services at your health plan directly. You may contact Blue Cross Blue Shield at 1-800-814-4371; Boston Medical Center Preferred at 1-888-333-4742.

No. You may go to a specialist without seeing a primary care physician. In order to receive the highest level of coverage; always seek an in-network specialist.

Referrals are not required by the clinic, but you should check with your insurance provider to see if it's required by your plan.

For referral requirements, consult your benefit plan booklet or call Customer Service at the number on your ID card. You may choose to check your benefits online. No. Primary care physician selection is specific to each member. Selection must be made from physicians authorized in your particular network. Contact your employer for a list of primary care physicians or go to Provider Directory. Yes. You may change your primary care physician, but your health plan may limit the frequency of changes.

For most occasions, when you need a referral, your PCP handles and manages this process for you. Contact your PCP and ask for the referral department. Or, you may also call the utilization management company which handles the referral and authorization process for your group. Referrals must be initiated by your selected PCP.

Referred care promotes communication between your participating primary care physician and participating specialists. When all parties are informed of your medical condition, you receive the most effective and necessary treatment. You'll also benefit from minimum out-of-pocket expense because only a small copayment is required.

Patients who have been stabilized on methadone, through an established methadone maintenance treatment program, will present with medical conditions and concerns that are routinely treated in a primary care practitioner's office.

You can request a Primary Care Physician change at anytime. If you need to change your Primary Care Physician, simply select a new one from your UNICARE HMO Directory of Providers or from the UNICARE website. You must then call customer service to make a record of the change. Keep in mind that some Primary Care Physicians may not be accepting new patients. A customer service representative will be able to tell you which Primary Care Physicians are accepting new patients and will assist you.

We encourage you to choose a physician who specializes in internal medicine, family medicine, or pediatrics for your primary care. Physician profiles are posted on our Web site, kp.org. To select a physician, call Member Services at 303-338-3800. For the Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families coverage options, you'll be asked to select a PCP from an extensive list of highly qualified physicians. You may change your PCP at any time, for any reason.

The purpose of this document is to provide information to health care professionals and professionals in the law enforcement and regulatory communities about the medical treatment of pain. The goal is to achieve a better balance in addressing the treatment of pain while preventing abuse and diversion of pain medications. The authors of this document stand committed to the core principle of balance that was expressed in the 2001 joint consensus statement by the U.S.

Answer: Generally, only HMO and POS insurance plans require PCP referrals. To request a specialist referral, call our main number at 615-342-5900 and select option 4 for referrals. Same-day referrals are difficult to process so please call in advance. Remember, referrals are often limited to a specific timeframe and number of visits so monitor your specialist visits as closely as possible.

To determine whether you need a referral from us before seeing a medical specialist, please view the terms of your insurance plan. Often, this information is listed on your insurance card or can be obtained by calling your insurance company. Our medical providers can refer you to a specialist if your health situation requires it or if your health insurance company requires a referral prior to visiting a specialist.

Your PCP will submit an authorization request to Regal Medical Group. We will then determine which of our specialists is the most appropriate. You will then receive an authorization in the mail. Routine authorization requests are reviewed and completed within 5 working days. If your PCP advises us that the request is urgent, the review will be completed within 2 working days. Remember ? in order for a claim to be paid, you must have an authorization for the service.

Our providers work with the Inpatient Physicians of Forsyth (IPOF), a team of very qualified hospital specialists at Forsyth Medical Center. IPOF is a multi-specialty team of physicians who will admit and care for our patients during their hospital stay. Our providers are in communication with the inpatient physicians regarding treatment plans and questions regarding care and discharge.