Exemplary Integrated Pain Management Programs: University of New Mexico Pain Consultation and Treatment Center

Summary 

Background

The University of New Mexico Pain Consultation and Treatment Center (UNM Pain Center) opened in December 2011 in response to high rates of prescription opioid deaths in New Mexico.

Care Delivery Approach

The Pain Center provides personalized pain care to patients with a focus on supporting and coordinating with pain care in primary care settings, extending the capacity for pain care across the state through Project ECHO, and coordinating with integrative therapies. The care team includes anesthesiologists; a neurologist and headache specialist; family medicine providers who are myofascial experts; advanced practice providers (APPs), including nurse practitioners and physician assistants; physical therapists (PTs); chiropractors; pharmacists; a licensed counselor (LCPC); psychologists; and an addiction psychiatrist.

Results to Date

One marker of success is the level of access to pain care, with the Pain Center seeing over 10,000 patients per year. While the Center is reviewing more pain-specific measures of patient impact, it has seen improvements in patient satisfaction, specifically the likelihood that patients would recommend the practice. Interviewees expressed that the Pain Center’s provider outreach and education efforts have likely had the largest impact in growing the Center.

Challenges with Implementation

The Pain Center faced a variety of challenges during implementation, including limited resources and cultural challenges associated with
establishing a multidisciplinary team.