Washington State Pain Crisis

Washington State Pain Crisis – A Bellweather? was recently forwarded to me by my friend and colleague from New York, Michael Ellner. These new rules should be frightening to all residents in Washington State, especially people living with chronic pain. I do know that hypnosis for pain control should be part of the solution. We can only hope that the medical community will continue to expand the use of self-hypnosis for its patients. In March of 2011, Michael Ellner and Scott Sandland taught Dynamic Hypnosis for Pain Control for my hypnosis school. You can now own the complete 6 DVD set and training manual.

Washington State Pain Crisis – A Bellweather?

Even before new rules governing opioid prescribing in Washington state go into effect next month, in January 2012, access to adequate pain care is becoming scarce in the state. And, there are signs that this could be a harbinger of trouble and bad times ahead for persons with pain in other parts of the United States.

Aggressive new laws for the management of chronic noncancer pain, intended to curb rising opioid overdose deaths in Washington state, have been discussed in previous UPDATES [here] and [here]. Last September 2011 — concerned about reports that access to any type of pain care was becoming more difficult for the 1.7 million persons in the state with chronic pain conditions — the American Pain Foundation (APF) conducted a special survey to evaluate what seemed to be a mushrooming crisis.

APF staff contacted by telephone 108 statewide community health clinics. These facilities provide primary healthcare services to patients who are covered by Medicaid and many typically underserved populations, including, in some cases, persons who are uninsured.

Surprisingly, 70% of the clinics contacted said that they do not treat any patients with chronic pain, and most of those clinics have no referral process to send such patients elsewhere for treatment. Another 16% of clinics said they will treat patients with chronic pain; however, 10% will not provide opioid analgesics for pain and 6% would accept patients with chronic pain only under certain conditions, such as: a) having an existing treatment plan from a pain specialist, b) willing to discontinue opioid therapy, or c) have a specific type of insurance. The remaining 14% of contacted clinics simply stated that they were still willing to see patients with chronic pain; although, some commented that their policies in this regard may change.

Read Washington State Pain Crisis – A Bellweather?

Hypnosis for pain control really does work. I know because I have used it for myself, with my 89 year-old mother and with many clients in a wide variety of ages. If you are suffering with chronic pain, call or email me and find out how hypnosis may help you. If you are a professional working with people with chronic pain and want to learn more about Dynamic Hypnosis for Pain Control with Michael Ellner and Scott Sandland by clicking here.

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