The physicians of Valley Pain Consultants maintain the highest standards for patient care. We recommend that patients use the criteria listed below in their search for the ideal pain management physician/practice:
- Board-certification of physician (s) - The practice's physicians should be board-certified (or board-eligible) in Pain Medicine* by The American Board of Anesthesiology. Only physicians who have completed a 1-year fellowship approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties are eligible for this Certificate of Additional Qualifications in Pain Medicine.
- While there are other organizations that issue certificates in pain management, none of these require a physician to complete an additional year of training.
*Approved ABMS Member Board General and Subspecialty Certificate - Physicians are fellowship-trained at a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (if they completed residency after 1993).
All Valley Pain Consultants physicians who completed anesthesiology residency after 1993 are fellowship -trained at ACGME-accredited institutions - Practice has at least a 10-year presence in the greater Phoenix area
Valley has been a stable presence in the greater Phoenix area for more than 28 years - Practice has a reputation for excellent patient care
A patient's best resource for information about a pain management physician/practice is his/her primary care physician - Practice takes a multi-disciplinary approach to pain management
- Patients are seen by a physician at their initial visit and their care is supervised by physicians throughout their time in the practice (link)
- Practice takes a comprehensive approach to treatment
- Documenting a detailed medical history and thorough physical examination at initial visit
- Offering patients and performing a wide array of treatment options
Valley's interventional pain management physicians offer patients the widest array of treatment options in Arizona. - All physicians are credentialed at hospitals throughout the community (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, East Valley and West Valley).
Valley's physicians are credentialed to provide services at hospitals throughout the greater Phoenix area, including Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria and Mesa. What this fact means to patients is that if a Valley patient is admitted to a local hospital, a Valley Pain Consultants physician can provide interventional pain management care to them.
From the American Society of Anesthesiologists:
"Interventional pain management by unqualified providers presents serious risks to patients, such as persistent or worsened pain, bleeding, infection, nerve damage, brain damage, paralysis or even death. Therefore, it is the position of the American Society of Anesthesiologists that interventional pain management of patients suffering from chronic pain constitutes the practice of medicine. Appropriate medical training is necessary to evaluate, diagnose and safely treat patients suffering from chronic pain and to respond to complications of treatment should they arise. The public safety requires that interventional pain management in statute and regulation as clearly recognized as the practice of medicine and the interventional treatment of pain is provided only by qualified MDs/DOs."