Bariatric Surgery:

Almost all bariatric surgery programs in the U.S. request candidates to undergo a pre-surgical psychological screening to identify potential contraindications to surgery, such as substance abuse, poorly controlled depression or other major mental illness, as well as help, identify potential postoperative challenges and facilitate behavioral changes that can enhance postoperative weight maintenance. Factors such as mood or anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders, need to be evaluated to screen individuals who will more than likely be successful post-surgery. The pre-surgical evaluation is vital in identifying psychosocial issues that a patient may encounter postoperatively. It is also considered a unique opportunity to perform the psychoeducation of the patient about the changes resulting from the surgery, offer psychological support, and prepare the candidate for behavioral modifications that must occur in the postoperative period.

Spinal Fusion/Laminectomy:

Spine surgery can have a profound effect on a patient, surgeon, as well as third-party payers. Unfortunately, if a spine surgery fails, the patient continues to remain disabled, with perhaps even greater pain, increased medication dependence and more emotional difficulty than before the surgery. The many psychosocial risk factors that challenge spine surgery results can be assessed through psychometric testing and a detailed patient interview.

Spinal Cord Stimulators/Intrathecal Pump:

Chronic pain patients who are seeking an SCS or an intrathecal pump may have some level of pre-existing depression and anxiety, which may increase if the device becomes ineffective in reducing the patient’s pain level. A pre-surgical psychological evaluation is important in predicting the outcomes of this patient population. Due to the risks associated with the implantation of these devices and their substantial costs, a good deal of emphasis has been placed on patient selection. Some of the risk factors that have been identified which correlate with greater risk for pain or poor outcomes include pain chronicity, psychological distress, a history of abuse or trauma, poor social support and significant cognitive deficits. An evaluation is designed to help identify the right patient to achieve the maximum benefit from an implanted device. Patients can be more informed of their chances of success as well as the risks associated with the procedure.

Opioid Risk Assessment/Addiction Screening:

Many pain physicians send patients to a psychologist who has experience evaluating patients with chronic pain conditions.  Administering specific and targeted addiction screening is an important first step in improving the identification of addictive disorders, which is imperative in this day and age due to the increasing number of people who are afraid to seek help or not able to recognize their own addictions.   Early recognition of addictions provides the potential to save millions of lives and healthcare dollars by facilitating the identification and treatment of the problem before it becomes severe.   Screening by itself has been shown to decrease behavior. Many physicians fail to recognize addictions when seeing a patient for a routine physical. This can hinder the effectiveness of treatment. Our staff is trained in evaluating and recognizing addiction symptoms in an individual as well as suggesting a course of action for treatment. Our service provides an easy and convenient way for patients to be screened without feeling anxious or uncomfortable in a typical office setting. Our reports can be used as a preemptive screen for addictive tendencies or severe mood problems before prescribing opioids, or as a regular tool to monitor a patient’s inclinations before it becomes an issue.

Depression Screening

With depression rates increasing, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has made strong recommendations for physicians to actively screen patients for depression at regular visits. Primary Care Physicians are the first line of defense when it comes to depression due to the fact that they usually see the patient first before referring them on to a specialist. However, most primary care physicians may not have the time to thoroughly evaluate a patient’s level of depression. Our service allows patients to be screened in a comfortable and convenient setting so as not to cause anxiousness or be a burden to the patient or doctor requesting the assessment. We can provide a comprehensive mental health report to complement a physician’s physical assessment to get a complete picture of the patient’s overall health.