A 2022 study in the journal Pain found that chronic pain affects more than 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. This complex condition helps fuel the opioid crisis, which claims an average of 14 lives in Pennsylvania every day, according to the Commonwealth Office of the Attorney General.
In 2023, WellSpan Health established the Restorative Pain Program as an innovative effort to help people become less reliant on opioids while also improving their ability to carry out daily tasks. The program reproduces the successful model pioneered by California’s Savas Health.
Chris Echterling, MD
“The Restorative Pain Program includes an acupuncturist, massage therapist, nutritionist, physical therapist, behavioral health specialist, pain specialist and nurse care manager, all of whom seek to understand patients’ problems without having to form opinions in isolation,” says Chris Echterling, MD, Medical Director of Vulnerable Populations at WellSpan Health. “The team delivers care in two-and-a-half-hour sessions, with all members coming together to create a shared treatment plan, collaborating directly instead of relying on written communication.”
Candidacy and Referral
Candidates for the Restorative Pain Program include adults who have had pain that has not responded to conventional treatment and prevents them from meeting their functional goals for at least three months. Currently, enrollment is open only to patients with insurance that covers the program.
“If you’ve tried everything you know and the patient is not where you want them to be, that’s the time to consider our program,” Dr. Echterling says. “Many patients enter our care because their providers are frustrated that they are unable to provide the treatment needed.”
A Year-Long Journey
Over the course of 12 months, the Restorative Pain Program’s transdisciplinary team works with patients to achieve personalized functional goals. Patients see the team weekly at first, tapering to monthly as the program progresses. “The nice thing about this model is the Restorative Pain Program takes place over a year, so we have time to hear each patient’s story and they have time to make lasting changes in their lives. We don’t feel like we need to do that in 30 minutes or an hour,” Dr. Echterling says.
A pain catastrophizing score and other validated measures help the team track patient progress. Care takes place in one-on-one and group sessions. “At the end of 12 months, we want patients to have met the functional goals they defined for themselves,” Dr. Echterling says. “We want their validated outcome measures to have improved over time and patients to be able to sustain whatever worked for them, such as physical activity and a different way of looking at their pain. We help them plan for that.”
To refer a patient to the Restorative Pain Program, call 717-356-4705.