Planning for your pain management procedure

In preparation for your upcoming pain management procedure

The Doctors at NIPM perform procedures at a number of hospitals throughout the Hunter and into the Central Coast.

The hospital of your admission can be determined by the following factors:

The type of procedure
Health history
Social support post operatively.

At your consultation with your Doctor, the procedure technique will be explained, along with any risks and potential side effects. Whilst your Doctor will make every precaution for these, it is important that you feel well equipped with all relevant information prior to your procedure.

Hospital Admission Paperwork

Each procedure you are consented for will require the completion of admission paperwork for that particular hospital.

Each of the below links will take you to each hospitals admission paperwork. Please endevour to complete this at least 1 week prior to your procedure.

Charlestown Private Hospital

Gosford Private Hospital

Lake Macquarie Private Hospital

Lingard Private Hospital

Maitland Private Hospital

Not all pain management procedures are the same

There are a number of pain management procedures performed by the Doctors at NIPM.

These range from what we call "testing procedures" to "ablations" and more "advanced" pain procedures like spinal cord stimulation.

Post operative contact from NIPM

For patients who undergo a testing procedure, your nurse at NIPM will call you the next business day to see how your procedure went. It is important that you try to perform activities after this procedure to see if it was truly effective. We strongly urge patients not to sit/lay down after the procedure for this reason.

For patients who undergo non-testing procedures, you will only receive an SMS from us confirming the details of your post op appointment. If you are experiencing any difficulties, or have any questions or concerns, please make sure you reach out to your NIPM nurse for further assistance.

If you are undergoing a trial of a spinal cord stimulator, your nurse will be in contact with you each business day for the duration of your trial.

Every patient is booked a post operative appointment with their doctor after their procedure. You will be sent a confirmation letter with the date of surgery, your item numbers to check with your health fund and also your post op appointment details.

Is there a fee for my procedure?

Private patients

If you have private health insurance, please check these item numbers with your health fund. Provided your level of cover allows pain procedures, there will not be an out of pocket fee for 'simple' procedures. 'Advanced' pain management procedures do attract an out of pocket fee.

Self funded patients

Patients without private health insurance are still able to have procedures done with NIPM, however these are not bulk billed. A full quote will be supplied to you prior to booking a procedure. These fees are payable 2 weeks before your planned procedure date. There will be a fee for the surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital.

Workers Compensation / CTP patients

Provided your insurer has sent us a written approval, your services will be covered under this approval. If your claim is closed or settled prior to the procedure taking place however, you will become liable for the full procedural fees as mentioned above.

How do I book in for my procedure?

When will I receive my admission times?

Questions our team may ask you when booking a procedure

There are some important questions the team will ask you prior to booking your procedure.

Are you a diabetic?
Do you take blood thinners?
Do you take any weight loss medications?
Are you taking any herbal supplements?
We will also confirm your current height and weight.

It is important that if you have any questions as well, you should make a note of these for when the team call to book this in for you.

On the day of your procedure

Nursing Services

We have a team of Registered Nurses at NIPM. If you have seen one of the clinicians at the clinic, they may be able to help you.

Our Nurses are in the office between 10am and 3pm Monday to Friday, however this may vary during school holidays with our flexible working arrangements that we offer our team.

The best way to make contact with our nurses is via email at nurses@nipm.com.au and they will either be able to assist you, or point you in the right direction.

Zero tolerance policy

At NIPM, our commitment to providing compassionate care to our patients is our first priority. We are a chronic pain clinic, however we are not an acute service. If you need immediate attention, please present to your nearest emergency department.

We understand that for patients in pain, there can be quite a bit of anxiety among our callers, which sometimes leads to instances of rudeness directed towards our dedicated administrative and nursing team.

We would like to emphasise the importance of maintaining respect and understanding in all interactions, especially when dealing with our staff.

Our team work hard to ensure that every patient is attended to promptly and with the utmost care.

Whilst we empathise with the frustration caused by appointment wait times or health concerns, it’s crucial to remember that being rude or disrespectful is never appropriate.

Abusive or disrespectful behaviour not only affects the morale and well-being of our team, but also detracts from the supportive and caring environment we strive to create at NIPM. Every member of our staff deserves to work in a respectful and safe environment.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a positive atmosphere, we want to reiterate our zero-tolerance policy towards abusive and disrespectful behaviour. This policy ensures that anyone displaying disrespectful conduct towards our staff will be asked to leave the practice without the opportunity to reschedule.

We encourage our patients to express their concerns and communicate openly with us. If you have any concerns, please raise these with our Practice Manager for a confidential, respectful, discussion.