Houston is a great city with many excellent pain specialists and William L Yancey MD is one of the best.
Anyone suffering from chronic pain will eventually have to visit a pain specialist which begs the question, “How do you choose a pain specialist?” Unlike many other medical professionals, a pain specialist should be judged by more than their results.
The following are tips that will help you choose a pain specialist to address your pain issues:
- Experience
Dealing with acute or chronic pain is an incredibly intricate process. If you want a pain specialist who helps you deal with the pain in the most effective way, experience is paramount.
There are a wide variety of causes of pain in the body and isolating it is very difficult. A doctor with the right experience will know what to look for and how to address it.
Experience is also vital in how the doctor deals with you. You do not want to deal with a cumbersome doctor when you are in excruciating pain.
Therefore, you should always go with the more experienced doctor if you have to choose.
- Training and Education
It almost goes without saying that you want a doctor with the right training and education to be a pain specialist. Therefore, when choosing a pain specialist, you should ensure to check their credentials.
Medical school is mandatory for any pain specialist. The standard practice is to attend a fellowship program after residency. Your pain specialist should have board certification in their specialty and complete an accredited fellowship.
Accreditation from the American Board of Psychiatry and The American Board of Neurology, or the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is what you want to look for in a pain specialist. You should take the time to ensure that the pain specialist has all the necessary documents to support their credentials.
- Patient Reviews
There is no greater testament to a doctor’s proficiency than what former patients have to say about him or her. The way a pain specialist treats his/her patients will also tell you a lot about their character.
Therefore, when searching for a pain specialist, ensure to read as many patient reviews on as many platforms as possible. You should also try to meet as many patients in person as you can.
Getting referrals from former patients is very important in this regard. If you know someone you trust with an excellent relationship with their pain specialist, then that is a great referral to get.
- Telehealth Capabilities
Developments in technology are very important in the field of medicine. One that you should look for in a pain specialist is telehealth capabilities.
When you suffer from chronic pain, going to the doctor’s office may be cumbersome and sometimes impossible. Therefore, you need a doctor who will be able to help you even if you cannot physically get to them.
Telehealth can be used for a variety of factors including diagnosis, conducting routine checkups and even offering home remedies. However, telehealth appointments are not a replacement for in-person visits; they only make the treatment process much more convenient than otherwise.