Iowa Health-Des Moines announced last week that it will shutter its pain clinic near Iowa Lutheran hospital, leaving hundreds of chronic pain patients seeking treatment from new physicians, according to a Des Moines Register report.
An Iowa Health letter sent to approximately 1,800 patients said the clinic will close June 29 but did not provide further details. "While the pain clinic is closed, we will be evaluating community need and the best approach for meeting it," the letter said. "We are exploring options for reopening the Pain Clinic, but cannot say if or when that might occur. The management of chronic pain is challenging for patients and healthcare professionals alike because the therapies are very individualized and the course of treatment often requires readjustment. That complexity and evolving standards of care in pain management are causing us to carefully assess the best approach for this challenging field of medicine."
Most patients are being referred to primary care physicians for continued treatment, according to an Iowa Health spokeswoman, who declined to elaborate on the clinic's closure.
One of the clinic's physicians, pain specialist Daniel Baldi, MD, has been placed on administrative leave. The spokeswoman declined to explain the reason for the leave, saying it is an employment issue.
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An Iowa Health letter sent to approximately 1,800 patients said the clinic will close June 29 but did not provide further details. "While the pain clinic is closed, we will be evaluating community need and the best approach for meeting it," the letter said. "We are exploring options for reopening the Pain Clinic, but cannot say if or when that might occur. The management of chronic pain is challenging for patients and healthcare professionals alike because the therapies are very individualized and the course of treatment often requires readjustment. That complexity and evolving standards of care in pain management are causing us to carefully assess the best approach for this challenging field of medicine."
Most patients are being referred to primary care physicians for continued treatment, according to an Iowa Health spokeswoman, who declined to elaborate on the clinic's closure.
One of the clinic's physicians, pain specialist Daniel Baldi, MD, has been placed on administrative leave. The spokeswoman declined to explain the reason for the leave, saying it is an employment issue.
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