The Premier Pain Institute treats many patients from all walks of life, including both young and older patients. Many times, patients will come to the PPI with pain that they have been dealing with for years, trying treatment after treatment with no long-term results. Because of the extensive knowledge and priority on improving the quality of life for all patients, the Premier Pain Institute provides a solution to pain.
Oftentimes, these patients come to Premier Pain Institute based on referrals from patients who have been successfully treated who tell their family and friends about Premier Pain Institute. Other times, there are patients who come to the PPI from their primary care physician. Patients are also welcome to contact Premier Pain Institute directly, or request that their primary care physician obtain a referral from their insurance carrier. Patients arrive for treatment not only from the length and breadth of the United States, but also across the world from Canada and several other countries.
Most insurance carriers cover many of the diagnostic and interventional procedures that are performed at the Premier Pain Institute in both Phoenix and Scottsdale. Patients can also request appeals or external reviews from insurance plans for those not covered occasionally. Patients also have the option of making payments directly to Premier Pain Institute for their services, as we even have exclusive discounts for cash-paying customers.
Patients are required to be punctual for their appointments. It is expected by Premier Pain Institute that patients continue to stay involved and responsible for their medical care. It is the responsibility of the patients and/or referring physician to ensure that a patient arrives with appropriate and relevant medical records and reports for the condition that they are being referred to for a consult. This typically includes x-ray reports, MRI reports, neurology reports, spine surgery consultation, and EMG and nerve conduction study. Usually, patients don’t need to bring bulky x-ray packages with them, unless these have been specifically requested. Bringing the relevant reports at the time of consult results in efficient utilization of physician/patient interaction, and also expedites the care of patients in speeding up formulating a plan of therapy.
“What the mind does not know, the eyes cannot see!”
— Dr. Vengurlekar
Dr. Vengurlekar takes pride in his diagnostic skills. An accurate diagnosis is extremely important and can only be arrived at with a meticulous and diligent look at the patient’s history of symptoms of pain, and a thorough relevant physical clinical examination. In 99% of patients, Dr. Vengurlekar makes an accurate diagnosis just from patient information and physical examination alone. A review of reports from MRI, x-ray, and other scans may be of assistance. It is therefore imperative that patients pay attention to all the details of filling out forms presented to them at the time of the exam. A typical initial consultation may require the patient to spend between 1 to 1.5 hours in the office.
Dr. Vengurlekar may also occasionally advise additional appropriate testing or consultation from neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, or other specialists to confirm or rule out other conditions, which may figure in the differential diagnosis.
The Premier Pain Institute has multiple telephone lines and it is rare for a patient to get an answering machine, or a bewildering array of voice menus, if calling during regular business hours. The staff and the office of Dr. Vengurlekar run very efficiently and we take immense pride in serving our patients’ needs promptly.
Premier Pain Institute stands for Diagnostic Ability, Knowledge, Integrity and Taking Care of Patients. From the age of 16, Dr. Vengurlekar has devoted his life to achieving that goal.
