Physicians //
At Pain Management Institute, we define an excellent physician as someone who is well qualified by their training, certification, experience, and above all, someone who places the patient's interest first. Our physicians not only have the best training and experience, they are also regarded by other physicians in the Washington DC area as the best in pain management because we place the interest of the patient first.
To learn more about our physicians, click on the links below.
Simply put, you would not want a pilot who never received proper training or never passed their competency exam to fly your plane. At Pain Management Institute, we feel the same way. That is why all of our physicians are fellowship trained in Pain Management and are board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Why should you be seen by an ACGME trained pain specialist?
Because it can have a huge impact on your care. If you are being referred to a pain specialist, ask your referring doctor if the pain specialist is ACGME certified as non-ACGME pain specialists have not gone through an approved, formalized training program. There are many local "pain specialists" who are not ACGME board certified, and have "general certifications" to perform spine injections which can be earned after taking a weekend course. Drs. Arvanaghi, Kroll, Larkin, and Lee have ACGME certified training in interventional pain from Harvard, Walter Reed, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital respectively.
All pain specialists, regardless of their primary specialty, should be competent in pain assessment, formulation, and coordination of a multiple modality treatment plan, integration of pain treatment with primary disease management and interaction with other members of a multidisciplinary team. The didactic and clinical curriculum of the pain program must address attainment of these competencies. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is a private, non-profit council that evaluates and accredits this training for the 8000+ ACGME approved programs in the country to ensure the highest quality in training.
Why should you be seen by a Board Certified pain specialist?
Only physicians who have trained at an ACGME certified pain program are eligible to take the board certification exam. There are many physicians who practice pain medicine without board certification because they were either ineligible to take this exam due to lack the proper training, or could not pass this exam.
Everyday, pain physians prescribe powerful medications and perform interventional procedures with potentially high risks and benefits. Just as all airline pilots are required to prove their competency, we hold the same standard to our physicians at Pain Management Institute.