By Meredith Knight | Photos by MorningWatchPhoto.com
When you’re experiencing pain in your back and neck, it can greatly affect the overall quality of your life. It’s for that reason Baylor Scott & White Health has launched their new virtual Back and Neck Center to provide streamlined and efficient care for patients when they need it most.
“The Back and Neck Center is a one-stop-shop for your back and neck needs,” said Elizabeth Clark, DNP, team lead and nurse practitioner for the program. “The center simplifies the process of having your back and neck evaluated, diagnostic tests ordered (such as X-ray, CT, and MRI) then appropriate referrals made whether you require physical therapy, pain management, orthopedic, and neurosurgery. We’ve done everything we can to make the process seamless, painless, and efficient.”
Nurse Navigators
What makes this process unique is that patients will be paired with a Baylor Scott & White nurse practitioner who will follow them throughout the process, review any test results, and work with the patient to determine a plan of care specific to their needs. The nurse practitioner can assist with any needed referrals, make appointments, then follow up afterward to answer any additional questions. Even better, patients will receive their personal nurse navigator’s number, in case any needs arise.
Baylor Scott & White knows life gets busy. That’s why they created this program to be virtual so patients can get the care they need without a disruption to their schedules. “Patients and their nurse practitioner can meet via video meeting,” Elizabeth said. “During that meeting, we’ll obtain medical history and determine whether imaging or other diagnostic tests are needed then refer to the appropriate specialist including physical therapy, pain management, and spine surgeons or neurosurgeons with quick appointments. And it can all happen from the comfort of your home.”
The Baylor Scott & White Health Back and Neck Center has an expanded care team that consists of a group of specialized providers who have opted into the program and practice in an area close to where a patient lives whether it’s Allen, Carrollton, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Plano, Richardson, Rockwall, Rowlett, Wills Point, or Wylie.
Highly Experienced Team
The physicians on the medical staff supporting the program are experienced in a wide array of conditions that cause back, neck and/or extreme pain, and can severely affect a patient’s quality of life.
“Conditions that can severely affect a patient’s quality of life by causing neck, back, and/or extremity pain or paralysis include but are not limited to degenerative, deformity/scoliosis, traumatic, oncologic and infectious conditions of the spine,” said Jarren Section, MD, orthopedic spine surgeon on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – McKinney and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial. “Available treatments include procedures ranging from minimally invasive and microscope assisted to complex reconstructive surgeries with the understanding that surgery should only be considered as a last resort.”
“Back and neck pain can range from a mild, dull, annoying ache, to persistent, severe, disabling pain,” said Brian Hood, Md, a neurosurgeon on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – McKinney and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial. “Pain in your back or neck can restrict your mobility and interfere with normal functioning and quality of life. Back and neck pain can be acute, coming on suddenly and intensely or chronic, lasting for weeks, months, or even years, either continuously or intermittently. Whatever the case, pain doesn’t have to be a part of your life. There are many things that can be done to help you find relief and return to the life you love.”
Whether you’re dealing with back and neck discomfort for 10 days or 10 years, the BSW Back and Neck center helps patients understand the root cause of pain and get back to doing what they love most.
Comprehensive Care
“At the Baylor Scott & White Health Back and Neck Center, we’re dedicated to providing concierge-type medicine with the patient’s convenience at its core,” Elizabeth said. “Our goal is to work collaboratively with primary care and ER physicians who see patients with back and neck pain in their facilities. These physicians can contact us, and we’ll partner with them working together toward getting the patient on the right path through our program, so they can return to living the life they love sooner. We want to be their back and neck care team.”
It’s easy to schedule an appointment at the Baylor Scott & White Health Back and Neck Center. You can contact the center by email at [email protected] or by calling (469) 814-2225. Find out more at BSWHealth.com/BackandNeckCenter.
Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community, or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of Baylor Scott & White Health or those medical centers.
