For anesthesiologist Eric Homberg, MD, a relatively new concept is feeding his desire for a more intense procedure-oriented hands on treatment for pain. Homberg finds himself in a new setting and a different role from most traditional anesthesiologists. As an interventional pain management specialist with West Tennessee Bone and Joint, Homberg provides hands-on care to patients dealing with pain with the focus of helping them attain the highest quality of life possible by utilizing a wide range of treatments available beyond just a prescription.
Homberg attended schools in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn. and Ringgold, Ga. His love for people and science meant medicine was the perfect career to pursue. At the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Homberg majored in biology and zoology with a minor in psychology.
During medical school at UT- Health Science Center in Memphis, Homberg was drawn to emergency medicine for its higher medical acuity and the opportunity to provide hands-on care with a higher level of intensity. When the program he matched with for residency went on probation, Homberg heeded the advice of some of his surgeon friends and looked at anesthesiology.
“It was a more intense procedure-oriented hands on specialty, which appealed to me,” said Homberg. “I stayed at UT for my general anesthesia training with an emphasis in cardiac anesthesia. The last six months of my senior year was devoted to cardiac anesthesia only. I spent my first five years out of residency at Baptist Central, Baptist East and St. Francis Hospitals mostly doing cardiac, neuro, and general anesthesia for various cardiovascular surgeons – Semmes Murphy Clinic physicians as well as orthopedists from the Campbell Clinic.”
In 2000, Homberg joined the cardiac program at the Methodist LeBonheur facility in Jackson. When the program was closed due to Certificate of Need issues, Homberg moved into general anesthesia and eventually headed the department at the facility, which today is Regional Hospital – Jackson. It was during his fourteen years there, that Homberg got acquainted with the pain management side of his specialty.
“Anesthesia would be asked to help with patients who had been admitted with acute pain problems,” said Homberg. “From those inpatient requests, the hospital identified the need for an outpatient program and opened one. It did not take long for me to realize I could not do both general anesthesia and run a chronic pain medicine clinic, so in 2012 I opened the Jackson Interventional Pain Clinic.”
Pain management was a continuation of what led Homberg to choose medicine initially. Not only is there is tremendous need for the specialty, he also finds it tremendously challenging, which only further sparked his interest in it. “I vacillated a bit in the beginning as to whether I wanted to head down a new road at that stage in my career or just keep doing what I knew and what came easy for me,” said Homberg. “But the rewards I got from successfully helping a patient in pain was enough to offset the additional training required. I have basically been taking CME classes for the past seven years but I am Board Certified by both the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the American Board of Pain Medicine.”
The clinic quickly became busy due in part to the growing number of referrals from orthopedists in the area. After two years in operation, West Tennessee Bone and Joint approached Homberg with the idea of bringing his services under their umbrella and making him a part of their group. The idea of partnering orthopedics and pain management specialties is a relatively new concept, especially in West Tennessee, but one that is quickly catching on.
From Homberg’s perspective, it was a triple win situation. Homberg would have access to not only the expertise of the orthopedists, but also to radiology and physical therapy services. For the orthopedic physicians, it meant not having to send patients out for pain management services. For the patient, it meant convenience and greater continuity of care.
“It really makes sharing information easier. Often there is overlap in a patient complaint, for instance shoulder pain could be originating from the cervical spine or hip pain could come from the lumbar spine. We can collaborate to better identify where the pain is coming from, which helps in planning their treatment. For surgical patients, if surgery does not alleviate their pain component, I can offer other treatment modalities.”
Not all patients come from the orthopedic side. “We have patients referred to us from primary care physicians as well as specialists. There are also what I call overlap patients, in that they may be referred to us as well as another specialty such as neurology for their problem when pain is a symptom. Pain management can be a nice compliment to other forms of care,” he said. “We also have a growing number of patients with pain related to cancer, which we can help with medications and various procedures. Fortunately, I have an outstanding and compassionate nursing staff. In addition, Amy Wren, nurse practitioner, joined and became an integral part of our team two years ago. She is an excellent and dedicated clinician who has improved the efficiency and timeliness of our patient care.”
The practice focus is on maximizing quality of life.
“The first step is to establish an accurate diagnosis, since pain can be a symptom of so many medical conditions. Next step is educating the patient on those diagnoses and the options for management,” he said.
From there, Homberg says his entire practice centers around reducing the time and/or amount of medication someone needs, minimizing major interventions, and coming up with balanced treatment regimens.
“We stress proper diet, activity, and exercise on behalf of the patient. We then educate them on the array of therapies, medications, and procedures we offer to complement their efforts,” said Homberg.
At home, Homberg also applies a hands-on approach. He and his wife, Denise, who is a nurse, live on a small farm that includes horses, dogs, cats, and Pig. They are blessed with four active children; Corey, a Florida State Graduate, Lillie a USJ senior, and Harrison and Brandon, USJ juniors, all whom they are very proud of.
Print
