Those suffering from chronic pain often find the costs of care extensive. This condition, based purely on patient perception, poses challenges to patients that range from dealing with insurance companies, financing regular visits to multiple doctors, and deciding which medications will most be most effective. Armed with the right tools, chronic pain patients can manage their care in a more cost-effective way. Finding a primary care doctor who can develop a comprehensive treatment plan can save patients unnecessary visits to different specialists. In order to maximize therapy sessions that are covered by insurance, Dennis Turk, a professor of anesthesiology and pain research at the University of Washington encourages patients to “make the most of your visits by asking the therapist to teach you what you can do on your own.” Other suggestions include requesting generic drugs as opposed to their more expensive brand-name counterparts, and contacting organizations like Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness when insurance companies deny coverage for chronic pain management therapies.
For full New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/health/05patient.html?_r=1&ref=health