APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, honored the recipients of its sixth annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers. Five multidisciplinary pain programs were recognized. They are:

•Stanford University Division of Pain Management
•Fairview Pain Management Center, University of Minnesota Medical Center
•Comprehensive Pain Center, James L. Haley Veteran's Hospital, Tampa
•United Back Care, Redmond, Wash.
•Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program, Neurological Center for Pain, Cleveland Clinic

APS established the Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management program in 2006 to increase awareness about teams of health professionals who address critical, sometimes unmet, needs in pain management within their communities. Multidisciplinary programs in the U.S. offering direct patient care in pain management are eligible to apply. Detailed award applications were judged by a panel of pain management experts. Award recipients will be honored at a reception during the APS Annual Scientific Conference.

The Clinical Centers of Excellence Awards support the ongoing advocacy mission of APS by showcasing the benefits of the multidisciplinary approach to pain management for providing optimal care for myriad pain conditions. A recurring quality of leading pain programs is success in helping patients enhance their overall function and quality of life by treating the whole person, not just the pain.

Achievements of the five organizations recognized by APS include:

Stanford University Division of Pain Management
Predict, Prevent and Alleviate Pain is the operative vision of the multidisciplinary pain center, which won the APS CCOE Award in 2008. With a new 9,000 square foot outpatient center and a dedicated chronic pain inpatient unit, Stanford employs a biosocial approach to evaluating and treating patients experiencing various acute, chronic and cancer-related pain conditions. Faculty research is focused on applying results to improve clinical outcomes. A recent study by the Stanford team on low-dose naltrexone has been utilized for low-cost treatment of fibromyalgia pain. In addition, the group was awarded an NIH grant to investigate the mechanisms of old and new mind-body therapies for chronic low back pain. An APS CCOE reviewer called the program "a model of sustained excellence and innovation."

Fairview Comprehensive Pain Center, University of Minnesota Medical Center
Serving more than 6,000 patients a year, Fairview collaborates with primary care clinics to send multidisciplinary pain care teams to work with care providers and provide assessments, pain management and physician education. The inpatient consultation service provides acute pain assessments and management for more than 1000 complex hospitalized patients a year. New patients see a medical provider and a psychologist who jointly develop an individualized comprehensive care plan. The program has always been strongly committed to training in medical management of complex pain patients. It has a three month core rotation for the university's physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs. An APS CCOE reviewer praised the center's focus on primary care: "Top marks here because of the impact their care model innovation must have on primary care attitudes, beliefs and confidence." Fairview received its first APS CCOE award in 2008.

Comprehensive Pain Center, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa
This is the premier pain treatment center in the VA system for veterans and active duty personnel. It treats some 7200 patients annually from anywhere in the US and specializes in rehabilitative pain management. To face the challenges of treating wounded veterans from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Haley VA has implemented pain treatment programs for polytrauma victims. The staff works closely with the VA's national polytrauma rehabilitation centers to manage pain for those with the most severe combat injuries. The Haley VA Veterans Hospital also established the first VA-funded post doctoral clinical psychology program specializing in pain psychiatry. Staff members routinely serve as consultants to the VA, Department of Defense and community health care systems. "This program has made impressive efforts to establish evidence-based specialized programs for specific groups of veterans. This program has taken the leading role within the VA system in training providers from multiple disciplines in evidence-based pain management," commented a CCOE program reviewer.

United Back Care, Redmond, Wash.
In practice for more than 28 years as an independent unaffiliated care provider, United Back Care is the only pain center in Washington with multiple locations and offering telemedicine to serve more than 1000 patients a year statewide. UBC staff members also provide training and education to local employers and claims professionals on prevention and management of industrial injuries. To help patients regain functionality, UBC offers community reintegration services and coordinates communication with patients' employers and physicians to transition patients back into their workplace, home, and community in a safe and supported manner. In a review of UBC's CCOE application, one panel member was impressed by the research conducted by the clinical staff and noted, "Clinicians have published nine papers since 2006, and this is exemplary for a private practice."

Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program, Neurological Center for Pain, Cleveland Clinic
At Cleveland Clinic's Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program, outcomes studies with data on some 2,500 patients are used to show sustained improvements in pain, function, mood, and substance use. These data have contributed to numerous scientific presentations, poster presentations and publications. The program has expanded its services to improve perioperative pain care and offers pain-related education to neurologists and neurosurgeons. Also, in response to the increased need for pain and addiction treatment, the CPRP has developed a substance abuse education track. CPRP has a strong regional stature, as half of its patients reside beyond the program's seven-county area, and a one-third live outside Ohio. "This is a nationally renowned program for pain rehabilitation with a great physical rehabilitation and behavioral orientation," said the CCOE application reviewer. "This is an innovative program for patients with chronic pain who are dependent on addictive substances and a state-of-the-art rehab center for patients with chronic pain."