Today we’d like to introduce you to Amit Mehta.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amit. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As I was completing my fellowship in interventional pain management in 2008, I began to think about the next stages of my career. I was intrigued by the business aspect of private practice, but at a crossroads with the opportunities in the Chicagoland area in both anesthesiology and pain management. Luckily, my good friend and colleague was in the same situation as me, with the desire to return to Chicago. We agreed we would take the risk, with the provision that we would give it three years to succeed before moving on. We initially worked as anesthesiologist’s part time to help pay the bills, while we initiated the foundation of Premier Pain Specialists at the end of 2008 with Schaumburg, IL as our initial flagship location. We had the desire to build a practice model based on patient care and communication, while incorporating cutting edge technology to maximize patient care. Within a few years, we had collaborated with a few hospitals and physician groups, and realized we needed manpower to expand our market share. Due to pure luck, we had the luxury of adding two of our good friends who had just finished fellowship training into our practice. The greatest beauty of Premier Pain and Spine is that our founding partners have been friends for over twenty years going back to training, which has allowed constructive criticism followed by positive changes, with the value of trust and friendship as the core of PPS. Over time we have grown to 7 locations across the Chicagoland area treating acute and chronic pain issues through a multimodal approach including therapy and interventional pain management techniques.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been many bumps in the road since the start of the group. The biggest hurdle initially was a financial one, given that we started the practice right in the middle of the 2008 housing financial crisis.
It was difficult to sell growth and our vision, and we had to have patience as we took on initial debt and overhead. The competitive Chicagoland pain management market share was a difficult challenge to crack as well, along with the many hospital groups in the area. In addition to this, there have been many challenges with the changing healthcare landscape and various insurance plans.
As physicians, we want to offer the best medical options for our patients, but unfortunately laws and regulations by politicians and insurance companies often times handcuff physicians with what we can do.
Rising healthcare overhead and costs, along with decreasing reimbursements has led to a minimization of private practices. Having to say no to a patient due to insurance is always a challenge. Going further, dealing with the multiple personalities of employees and physicians has always been a challenge, but this challenge actually makes us better as all of us have realized and acknowledged our faults and weaknesses over time. The challenge of balancing a compliant, efficient private practice model while trying to be financially successful is a daily battle, yet we look forward to this hurdle as we navigate through the changing healthcare landscape over the next decade.
Please tell us about Premier Pain & Spine.
Premier Pain and Spine offers acute and chronic pain management needs for a full range of pain complaints and issues. We are double board certified anesthesiologists and pain management physicians, with training from some of the most prestigious institutions across the US. We specialize in improving functionality and decreasing pain, through a multimodal approach including therapy, medications, interventional injections, and regenerative techniques. Some of the most common complaints we treat include herniated discs in the spine, degenerative disc disease, facet and sacroiliac pain, cancer pain, joint and arthritis pain, migraine and occipital pain, failed back syndrome, myofascial and fibromyalgia complaints, compression fractures, and almost any other acute or chronic pain symptom. We strive to reduce narcotics, and use fluoroscopic and ultrasound guidance for the majority of our procedures, along with specializing in newer stem cell regenerative medicine. Our exceptional training, along with the fact we are all double board certified and fellowship trained definitely sets us apart from other groups.
Everyone brings a skill set, with ideas from the Northwestern, Michigan, and Cornell/Sloan Kettering/HSS training programs. Our compliance protocols, along with our desire to wean narcotics and strengthen the patient/doctor relationship through trust and communication sets us apart from others. I am most proud of the dedication and effort our staff gives us and our patients on a daily basis, and the number of patient referrals we receive is a reflection of the effort everyone has put in from day one.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memories from childhood include the backyard sporting events and time spent with neighborhood friends and family. Coming home from school and watching the Cubs play on WGN while eating Oreo cookies and milk was always a staple, followed by backyard baseball, football, or basketball. Luckily, I was able to enjoy the Cubs world series run last year, and hopefully my son will follow in my avid enthusiasm for sports.
As a child, we always ate dinner as a family, and this is still a memory I cherish and try to continue as an adult. Family dinners always provided a platform for discussion, laughs, arguments, and countless memories that I still cherish and look back upon.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1365 Wiley Road Suite #153
Schaumburg, IL 60173 - Website: www.ppschicago.com
- Phone: 847-519-4701
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ppschicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PPSChicago/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/search?choq=1&find_desc=Premier+Pain+%26+Spine&find_loc=Chicago%2C+IL&ns=1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PPSChicago
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9461488/
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