A Streamlined Check-in Process
From the moment you arrive at Ascension Pain Specialists, you will be welcomed like family into our office. After checking in at the front desk, we will hand you an iPad tablet to provide general information about yourself and the reason for your visit. Our friendly staff is always available to assist you with any difficulties.
No stack of papers to fill out – we are entirely paperless!
Once checked-in, we will either take you to one of our brand new exam rooms or our state-of-the-art procedure room, depending on the reason for your visit. If you are arriving for a procedure, please see our special instructions below on how to prepare for the day of your procedure.
Where You're Treated Like Family
Dr. Agarwal will gladly spend as much time as necessary to address all your questions and concerns. New patient office visits typically last 45 minutes, established patient office visits last 30 minutes and procedures last anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. For your convenience and safety, we offer telemedicine visits when appropriate.
Important Notice
We do not accept any health insurance, including HMO, PPO, Medicare, and Medicaid plans. We exclusively offer cash-pay services, and offer medical liens for personal injury cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
We do not accept any health insurance, including HMO, PPO, Medicare, and Medicaid plans. We exclusively offer cash-pay services, and offer medical liens for personal injury cases.
We kindly ask new patients to arrive 30 minutes early to allow enough time to register in our system. Established patients, please try to arrive at least 15 minutes early.
We do not validate parking. Parking is conveniently available at the Walnut Plaza for $1.50 per 20 minutes, with a daily maximum of $12. Cash only.
Preparing for Your Procedure
After checking in, we will bring you to an exam room where your vital signs will be gathered and current medications verified. We kindly ask that you wear comfortable clothes and keep unnecessary valuables at home.
Dr. Agarwal will evaluate you to confirm the procedure, discuss the steps involved along with the expected outcomes and the potential risks, as well as answer any remaining questions you have. You will then sign a consent form, allowing us to proceed.
For most procedures, you will then be taken into the procedure room and positioned on a special table. We utilize either ultrasound or fluoroscopy (X-ray) to perform our procedures. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels will be monitored throughout the procedure.
After completion of the procedure, you will be monitored for any side-effects. You will then be given follow-up instructions.
Yes. To ensure your safety after the procedure, it is our policy that you have a responsible adult accompany you home afterwards. Ride-sharing (e.g. Uber, Lyft) is not an acceptable means of transportation after a procedure. Arriving without an acceptable driver will lead to cancelation and rescheduling of your procedure.
Anxiety about your procedure is normal. However, we will thoroughly explain your procedure and answer any questions you may have before proceeding. Most of the procedures we perform are quick with minimal discomfort and can be done by simply numbing the skin of the area we are working on with local anesthetic. Sedation is typically unnecessary.
However, if Dr. Agarwal decides that sedation is necessary for your procedure, we will prescribe a one-time, oral anti-anxiety and oral pain medication for you to take just prior to your procedure. You will be responsible for filling these prescriptions on your own before your procedure. We do not carry these medications in our office.
If you receive sedation for your procedure, you will NOT be able to eat or drink for 6 hours before the procedure and you will not be able to drive, operate machinery, or work for the rest of the day.
Do NOT take any blood thinning medications such as Plavix, Pletal, Coumadin, Lovenox, and similar medications that “thin” the blood or block your platelets from acting normally. Please inform our office if you are taking blood thinning medications. If it is safe to do, and if we have written approval from the physician prescribing your blood thinner, we will coordinate stopping this medication 3-10 days before your procedure. Never stop taking a blood thinner on your own, without permission from your prescribing physician.
Please also let us know if you are taking Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or other anti-inflammatory medications and supplements such as vitamin E or fish oil; these may also need to be stopped before certain procedures.
Medications for other health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, etc.) may be continued as normal.
From the time you check-in to the time you check-out will typically take 1-1.5 hours. Appointments typically run on time, but unexpected delays occasionally occur. We appreciate your understanding.