CALL: 864 373 PAIN (7246)
FAX: 864 286 3077
With few exceptions, we usually require referrals from your primary care physician or a specialist.
Most physicians will provide you with referrals to our practice. If you have difficulties in obtaining referrals, please go to the nearest Doctors Care or urgent care facility to obtain the referral order.
We welcome new patients. All the time!
Please download this form and give it to your referring doctor. We will be glad to assist you in obtaining necessary referrals from your doctor. Once we have received your referral, we will contact you by phone to set up a convenient time to meet with the doctor.
PLEASE DOWNLOAD FORMS PRIOR TO VISIT.
We do not refill opioids without re-evaluation. If you are on opioid medication, you will be evaluated every 4 weeks. Chronic opioid therapy comes with the hassle of pill counts and urine lab tests. We discontinue opioids when risks outweigh benefits.
Issues with opioid maintenance
Relocating OR transferring?
New patient evaluations are done every day. We wish to learn your pain in your own words; we want to know when and how your pain started, the aggravating and relieving factors. We also want to know what kind of treatment you have had in the past and how effective that was. If you have had any imaging done into your painful conditions, for example: X-ray, MRI, and CT scan, please bring the films along with you. We wish to see the real films as interpretation by radiologists may differ from our own. Most patients assume that images have already been forwarded to us by referring physicians, when we may only be getting the report. You are responsible for obtaining these images from the place where they were taken in the form of film or CD.
We respectfully request that copay is paid at every visit. Please bring this payment along with a government issued ID. We accept cash and credit cared, not any checks. Please bring your insurance card.
Initial consultation or the first visit
Please compile a list of medications you have taken in the past. If you have stopped taking any medication in the past, please note why this medication was stopped and the dose at which this medication was stopped. If you had any undesirable effects related to any kind of treatment we would like to know that as well. Several days prior to your initial consultation, please collect all of this information.
First visit is for evaluation of the problems and develop a patient centered plan.
WE USUALLY DO NOT PRESCRIBE CONTROLLED MEDICATIONS ON THE FIRST VISIT. SEVERAL MATTERS NEED TO BE VERIFIED BEFORE ANY LONG TERM OPIOID THERAPY.
There is never a stupid question when it comes to patient care. We are a private practice, and therefore can spend as much time as needed to plan your treatment. It is wise to bring a family member or friend along with you who can also ask questions and participate in the discussion with the physician. Often we see that patients forget to ask questions at the time of their appointment.
Bring a family member or friend along with you. Have a long list of questions for the doctor!
We often see patients who are relocating from other states and those who have been discharged by other pain practices for opioid violation. We accept you on case by case basis after detailed evaluation of medical records and face-to-face consultation . There is no guarantee that you will be accepted into our practice. There is no guarantee we will prescribe same opioid at the same dose as prescribed before.
Urine Drug Screen
During the initial consultation, Dr Thiyaga will listen to your complaints and examine you. At the end of the examination, he will review reports of tests already done. He may order additional tests. Therapy, injections and non-habit forming meds can be prescribed. If a patient is evaluated for opioid maintenance therapy, urine sample for illegal and legal substances will be obtained. Immediate, in-house lab tests will provide preliminary information about acceptance of patient into our practice. Confirmation by advanced urine analysis is required before opioid treatment can be initiated.
| Aathi Thiyaga MD |