Welcome to CARE Pain Specialists

1. New Patient Paperwork

Because CARE Pain Specialists is a new and independent medical practice, all patients will need to complete new patient paperwork. I apologize for the inconvenience, and we are doing our best to make the process as simple and streamlined as possible.

Most of the paperwork should be available to complete electronically through our new medical record system, Tebra, before your appointment.

We also ask all existing patients to sign a Release of Information (ROI) allowing Medical Care Centers to release their medical records to CARE Pain Specialists. If you have not already completed one, please ask Trinnette, Arely, or Diana at your next visit.

Please also bring an up-to-date medication list to your first appointment. Electronic medication records are not always completely accurate, and having a current list helps us provide your care as safely as possible.

2. A New Electronic Medical Record — Tebra

We are moving to a new electronic medical record system called Tebra. This is the system we will use for scheduling, medical documentation, patient forms, and billing.

One major improvement is better electronic communication. When an appointment is scheduled, Tebra will send appointment information and reminders by both text message and email.

When your first appointment with CARE Pain Specialists is scheduled, we will also send your new patient paperwork electronically.

Important: The patient forms are generally much easier to complete on a computer than on a phone. Please make sure we have your current email address so you can complete the paperwork at your convenience before your appointment.

3. A New Phone System & Phone Number

New phone number: 832-660-0166

Expected to become active in early October.

I am particularly excited about our new phone system.

Voicemail messages will be converted to text and delivered electronically to our staff. This gives us a record of patient requests and should make it much easier for us to respond efficiently to pharmacy changes, appointment requests, and other messages.

If we do not answer, please leave a voicemail. Your message will be recorded and routed to our team so that we can address it as quickly as possible. Since each voicemail will be stored in writing, there is no need to leave multiple messages.

4. In-Office Fluoroscopy & Procedures

We are building a dedicated procedure room with fluoroscopy (X-ray guidance) at our new office.

Once completed and appropriately credentialed, this will allow us to perform many pain-management injections in the same office where you are seen for your regular appointments. Depending on the procedure and the individual patient, procedures may be performed with local anesthesia or mild sedation when indicated.

For some patients—particularly those with commercial insurance who have not met their deductible—an office-based procedure may also be substantially less expensive than having the same procedure performed at a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. It can also significantly reduce the amount of time involved.

There are regulatory and credentialing steps that must be completed before we begin performing these procedures. We are currently hoping to begin offering in-office procedures in early November.

5. The Same People You Know

Although the practice has a new name and a new location, you will see many familiar faces.

Sandy, Elizabeth, Trinnette, Diana, and Arely are all coming with us.

And you may see a few other familiar faces as we continue building the CARE Pain Specialists team!

6. Primary Care Referrals

If your insurance requires a referral from your primary care physician (PCP) to see me, please don't worry. We are putting a system in place to make this process as easy as possible.

Our billing team—including Duaa, Maira, and other team members—will be working to obtain and verify referrals. They may contact you if additional information is needed, so please help them with any questions they may have.

Because CARE Pain Specialists is a new practice, it is very important that referrals contain the correct practice information. Our information is different from Medical Care Centers (MCC) and NHFM.

Thank You

Starting an independent practice is a major transition, and there will undoubtedly be a few adjustments along the way. I appreciate your patience as we get everything up and running.

More importantly, I am excited about what these changes will allow us to do: communicate better, make your visits more convenient, perform more procedures in the office, and continue providing the personal care that I believe every patient deserves.

I look forward to welcoming you to CARE Pain Specialists.