Pain management improves care and revenue: an interview with ProCare Systems

As provider and managed care organizations continue to look for better ways to control costs and improve patient outcomes, disease management programs are getting an increasing share of their attention. One often-over-looked area with significant potential to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance revenues is pain management. It has been estimated that at least 40 percent of senior citizens suffer from chronic pain, and as the population ages, the number of chronic pain sufferers will only increase. Pain management companies have been forming to meet the current and future demand for comprehensive pain management programs. One such company is ProCare Systems, a single-specialty physician practice management company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. HFM spoke with Fred N. Davis, MD, president and cofounder of ProCare Systems, and Cyndy Walsh, ProCare System's CEO, about pain management programs and the patient care and financial impact they can effect.