Purpose of Technology

Nerve blocks consist of local anesthetic that is injected either alone or in combination with a steroid into a peripheral nerve or a nerve ganglion, with the goal to block generation or transmission of pain signals and thereby provide prolonged relief from pain.

Questions addressed in this report include:

• Do nerve blocks provide effective and sustained relief for chronic nonmalignant pain?
• Are nerve blocks safe?
• Have definitive patient selection criteria been established for the use of nerve blocks to manage chronic nonmalignant pain?

These questions provide a framework for review and synthesis of the best available evidence, which is presented in this report, along with the Hayes Ratings for the technology. This report also provides background information about the condition being treated, a description of the technology, and the context for development of the technology. Other key elements addressed in the report include the regulatory status; applicable Medicare and commercial payer coverage policies; relevant ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis codes; cost and cost effectiveness; credentialing; hospital length of stay; need for large case management; and ongoing and future clinical trials of the technology.

Posted in Directory Reports
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at 8:00 am.