Physician Partners of America Pain Relief Group Now Open in New Merritt Island Medical Pavilion
By Space Coast Daily // December 14, 2018
one-stop medical shop, the new facility on Merritt Island currently houses multiple specialties
WATCH: Dr. Jorge Fernandez-Silva, one of Florida’s most experienced pain medicine specialists leads the Physician Partners of America Pain Relief Group at the new Merritt Island Medical Pavilion, located at 450 E. Merritt Island Causeway.
PPOA Pain Relief Group Merritt Island Medical Pavilion Located at 450 E. Merritt Island Causeway
BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – Living with constant pain has tragically led many individuals down the path to opioid addiction.
According to the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, the number of opioid overdoses in the U.S. has increased four-fold in less than 20 years.
Avoiding the need for opiates in the first place can be obviously extremely beneficial for both the patient and the community, and patients increasingly want to avoid the negative side-effects and the addictive nature of pain medication.
Fortunately, healthcare providers such as Physician Partners of America, or PPOA, are committed to fighting the opioid epidemic by offering patients interventional pain management and cutting-edge treatment modalities to help them find relief without relying on medications whenever possible.
The company operates 30 locations in Florida and Texas.
Headquartered in Tampa, PPOA recently extended its reach in the Florida medical market with the launch of a Pain Relief Group at the new Merritt Island Medical Pavilion at 450 E. Merritt Island Causeway.
With 30,000-square-feet at its disposal, the company has plenty of room to grow the practice’s several planned phases in this state-of-the-art facility.
Engineered as a one-stop medical shop, the facility currently houses multiple specialties in 6,872 square feet. Future expansion will add 7,318-square-feet of medical office plus, plus a 9,824-square-foot, state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center with two operating rooms and one procedure suite.
The site’s final phase will add a catherization lab, pharmacy, laboratory and imaging services.
Interest is high in the medical pavilion concept, which provides optimum care for patients under one room and one electronic medical records system. Patients will find an easy-to-navigate medical facility with everything they could need to resolve a health issue.
“The patient wants to go to one place and everything they need is there,” said PPOA founder Dr. Rodolfo Gari.
An in-house staff of nurses, surgical assistants, technicians, anesthesiologists and administrators allows physicians to focus on treating patients without being impeded by administrative tasks, since PPOA staff arrange patient scheduling, insurance, billing and payroll.
Another advantage for both patient and doctor is the facility’s integrated electronic medical records system for a seamless process of medical care.
Accept Out-of-State Patients
Heading the Merritt Island practice is Dr. Jorge Fernandez-Silva, one of Florida’s most experienced pain medicine specialists who concentrates on minimally invasive techniques to manage many types of pain.
“We treat patients in a safe and effective manner,” said Fernandez-Silva.
“Patients can come in for multiple types of services. Having everything under one roof makes it convenient for the patient and it also helps physicians to better communicate with each other about the patient.”
The Miami native earned his undergraduate degree from Florida International University before heading to Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine for his medical degree.
After an internship in general surgery, he completed training in anesthesia and pain medicine at the State University of New York’s Upstate Department of Anesthesia, where he served as chief resident.
Before joining Physician Partners of America, Dr. Fernandez-Silva practiced in the Orlando area.
Given that 60 million tourists visit Central Florida each year and that Port Canaveral is the second largest cruise ship port in the world, Dr. Fernandez-Silva expects many of new Merritt Island patients to live out of state.
“We are one of the few medical companies that accept patients with valid out-of-state ID,” said Fernandez-Silva.
“This allows winter residents and seasonal visitors to get continued care away from their home. The patient has the advantage that they can continue where they left off with their doctor back home and that we can also offer them different modalities of treatment.”
Targeting Pain
Pain is a three-part process that includes a source, a pathway and a response. The treatment plan may target fixing the problem area causing the pain, blocking signals that lead to pain sensations and/or finding ways to decrease the pain’s response to pain signals.
By targeting pain at every level, PPOA helps patients find long-term relief rather than temporary solutions.
Through procedures such as injection therapies, the body’s response to pain is blocked. For example, steroid injections administered at the site of injury reduce the inflammatory response that causes pain.
In addition to injection therapy, treatment options include radio frequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, never blocks, facet joint injections and trigger point injections.
The intrathecal pump implant is placed underneath the skin to deliver medication directly to the spine and thus requires a much smaller dose than would be needed for oral medication.
Physical therapy alone may take time for pain alleviation, but the effects of interventional management are usually significant and immediate. Interventional pain management can also offer relief for patients struggling with fibromyalgia.
There is no need to live in pain, for pain management is readily is conveniently available at Physician Partners of America.
For an appointment with Dr. Fernandez-Silva at Physician Partners of America Pain Relief Group, 450 E. Merritt Island Causeway, Suite 200, call 321-339-3133. Office hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Same-day appointments are often available.
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