SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Dr. Todd Jaffe Discusses Importance of Knowing Your Doctor, Method of Treatment

ask questions, inspect your records

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Space Coast Daily is live with Dr. Todd Jaffe’s of Jaffe Addiction Recovery & Pain Management Services in Viera to discuss how to properly select and maintain an effective relationship with your pain doctor.

BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA – When it comes to understanding back pain and which course of treatment is best for you, knowing your doctor’s credentials and asking questions is as important as fixing the pain in your back.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recognizes pain medicine as a specialty.

The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management says a pain management specialist is a physician with special training in evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of all different types of pain. Pain is a wide spectrum of disorders including acute pain, chronic pain and cancer pain and sometimes a combination of these.

Pain can also arise for many different reasons such as surgery, injury, nerve damage, and metabolic problems such as diabetes. Occasionally, pain can even be the problem all by itself, without any obvious cause at all. Dr. Todd Jaffe, at Jaffe Addiction Recovery and Pain Management is one of several doctors in Brevard County whose training and patient care meet all the requirements you should look for in a pain management doctor.

And even then, says Dr. Jaffe, “it’s ok to seek a second opinion and its ok to ask questions. “

With the way today’s insurance works and the controversies surrounding the Affordable Care Act, reimbursements to doctors are much less than they used to be and in some instances doctors are calling for tests, procedures and writing prescriptions that simply aren’t necessary.

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Space Coast Daily spoke with Dr. Todd Jaffe at Jaffe Addiction Recovery & Pain Management about a new procedure that relieves pain that occurs from spinal narrowing and prevents the need for major surgery.

Back in mid-July the United States Justice Department charged more than 400 people across the country in a major crackdown on health care fraud. The accused individuals cost the federal government $1.3 billion in false Medicare and Medicaid billings, according to authorities.

The investigation focused on opioid-related crimes as the government continues to try to address the public health crisis that has been sweeping the country.

Many of the health care providers charged had billed Medicaid and Medicare for drugs that were never purchased, while others took advantage of addicts by giving out unnecessary opioid prescriptions for cash or charging for false treatments, according to the Justice Department.

Dr. Jaffe says” this is just the tip of the iceberg.” Jaffe says patients should always be conscious of having any pain management procedure done in a series. While a series of injections or blocks to pain areas was necessary in the past, the advancement of medical technology has rendered, in some cases a second procedure and most certainly a third or fourth procedure unnecessary for a patient.

There is a difference between a pain management doctor and a doctor that actually manages your pain.

Dr. Jaffe says it’s equally important for you to know your doctor as it is for your doctor to know your pain symptoms and how to treat them. Some of the things patients should ask themselves about their doctor is does the doctor have board certification for the procedures they want to perform?

Does the doctor care for you as person and a patient? And does the doctor look down on you if your pain has caused you to become addicted to pain medicine. Dr. Jaffe says it is ok to ask for a copy of your records. You want to make sure the doctor is writing down what you tell them and always ask why a procedure is necessary.

The most important consideration in looking for a pain management specialist is to find someone who has the training and experience to help you with your pain problem and with whom you feel a comfortable rapport.

Since many types of chronic pain may require a complex treatment plan as well as specialized interventional techniques, pain specialists today must have more training than in the past, and you should learn about how your pain physician was trained and whether he or she has board certification in pain management.

Dr. Todd Jaffe of Jaffee Addiction Recovery and Pain Management began practicing in Titusville in April of 1991, and later opened his own practice, now located at 8095 Spyglass Hill Road, Suite 101 in Viera.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR CALL 321-757-0577

ABOVE VIDEO: Dr. Todd Jaffe of Jaffee Addiction Recovery and Pain Management is dedicated to providing quality care and improving quality of life.

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