Finding the right pain management doctor for your situation matters. Chronic pain often requires ongoing care, and the quality of that care is substantially shaped by the practice you choose. This checklist walks through what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to distinguish strong practice from weaker practice.
Start With the Basics
Board certification. Pain medicine board certification is a meaningful credential. It reflects specific training and ongoing commitment to the specialty. You can verify certification through the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Fellowship training. Fellowship in pain medicine is formal specialty training beyond residency. Most board-certified pain physicians have completed a fellowship, but not all.
Training background. Pain physicians come from various backgrounds — anesthesiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, and others. The background itself is less important than whether the physician has the specific skills for your needs.
Scope of practice. Some pain specialists focus on medication management; others are heavily interventional; most do both. Understand the scope of what the practice offers.
Approach and Philosophy
Questions about clinical approach are often more revealing than credentials alone:
What is your approach to diagnosis? A thoughtful physician can describe how they identify the source of chronic pain — history, physical exam, imaging, and diagnostic procedures when appropriate. A practice that jumps to treatment without diagnostic depth is operating differently.
What is your approach to medication, particularly opioids? The answer should reflect current standards: non-opioid-first, with opioids reserved for specific situations and carefully monitored when used.
How do you decide when to perform a procedure? Look for an answer that emphasizes careful patient selection, not default recommendations.
What do you do if the first treatment does not work? A practice that has thought about this question is planning ahead. A practice that cannot answer is unlikely to be thoughtful about ongoing care.
How do you coordinate with other specialists? Pain management is a team sport. Good practices communicate actively with primary care, physical therapy, and other specialties.
Procedure-Specific Questions
If interventional procedures are likely part of your care:
Do you use image guidance for spinal injections? Fluoroscopy should be standard for cervical and lumbar epidural and facet injections.
How often do you perform the procedure I might need? More experience typically correlates with better technique. It is reasonable to ask.
What are the success rates and risks? The answers should be realistic rather than superlative. If everything sounds perfect and no risks are mentioned, that is a warning sign.
What is your diagnostic approach for facet-mediated pain? A practice that uses medial branch blocks before recommending radiofrequency ablation is following best practice.
Medication-Specific Questions
If medication management is a significant component of what you need:
What is your approach to medication for my specific condition? The answer should reflect knowledge of the specific pain problem rather than generic responses.
How do you handle medication adjustments and follow-up? Ongoing medication management requires regular contact, not just renewal of prescriptions.
What is your policy on opioid prescribing? Expect a clear, thoughtful answer that reflects current standards.
Practical Factors
Location. For ongoing care, logistics matter. A slightly less perfect practice that is easy to reach can be a better choice than a more ideal practice that is a major logistical challenge.
Insurance participation. Verify participation and understand any authorization requirements.
Wait times. Some practices have long waits for new patient visits. For acute issues, wait time matters.
Communication. How does the practice handle phone calls and messages? This shapes the ongoing experience.
Staff. The support staff you interact with — front desk, nurses, schedulers — substantially shape the day-to-day experience of being a patient.
Red Flags
Patterns that warrant caution:
Uniform recommendations. A practice where nearly every patient gets the same procedure or the same medication is not individualizing care.
Heavy promotion of a specific product. Some practices aggressively promote specific treatments (regenerative medicine products, for example) that may or may not be appropriate for your situation.
Opioid-default approach. A practice where most chronic pain patients end up on long-term opioids is out of step with current standards.
Lack of thorough evaluation. A practice that recommends a procedure at a first visit, before an adequate workup, is moving too fast.
Poor communication. Difficulty reaching the practice, poor handling of questions, or dismissive interactions are concerning.
Inability to explain the plan. A practice that cannot clearly articulate what it is doing and why is not practicing with the clarity good care requires.
How Reviews and Word-of-Mouth Fit In
Patient reviews and recommendations from others can be useful but should be weighted carefully:
- Reviews often reflect experience with scheduling, wait times, and staff interactions rather than clinical quality
- A single review is not very informative; patterns across many reviews are more meaningful
- Reviews from friends with a similar condition are more useful than generic reviews
- Positive reviews for specific things (“explained my diagnosis clearly,” “responsive to questions”) are more useful than generic superlatives
Second Opinions
For significant decisions — surgery, long-term medication plans, complex procedures — a second opinion is often valuable. Most practices are comfortable with patients seeking second opinions, and good practices encourage it when appropriate.
Changing Practices
If you are not satisfied with your current pain management practice, changing is reasonable. Records can be transferred. Most practices will cooperate with a transition. Do not feel obligated to stay with a practice that is not meeting your needs.
Our Approach
At Southwest Pain Management, our practice emphasizes the principles this checklist describes: thorough diagnostic evaluation, individualized treatment recommendations, non-opioid-first medication strategy, and coordinated care. Our team is led by Philip Morgan, MD. We welcome consultation visits from patients looking for a new practice, second opinions, or evaluation of complex chronic pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a physician is board certified? The American Board of Medical Specialties website allows you to verify board certification for any physician.
What training should a pain management doctor have? Most have completed residency in anesthesiology, PM&R, neurology, or a related specialty, followed by fellowship training in pain medicine.
Is a physician who does mostly procedures better than one who does medication management? Not necessarily. The right physician depends on what you need. Many pain management conditions benefit from both approaches, and many physicians offer both.
What if my primary care physician cannot recommend a pain specialist? You can research options on your own. Practice websites, online directories, and insurance directories can all help.
Does it matter if the practice is a hospital system versus independent? Both can provide excellent care. Independent practices often have more flexibility; hospital-affiliated practices often have more seamless coordination with other specialists.
How long does a typical patient-physician relationship last in pain management? Varies widely. Some patients see their specialist briefly for a specific problem; others have ongoing relationships over years.
Request a Consultation
Contact Southwest Pain Management to schedule a consultation.
Our Mission
The mission of Southwest Pain Management is to empower you to restore function, decrease pain, and live your life to its fullest.
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