Who Initiates the MEB?

[isitdoneyet2025]

Hello everyone,

After dealing with back issues for over a year, medication, physical therapy, dry needling, 2 rounds of trigger point injections, and 1 round of the lumbar epidural steroid injection, I finally advocated for myself at pain management & asked for a MEB. I explained how my pain has gotten worse, and how my condition has not improved. I also explained that I no longer want injections, as they do not help me, and instead, they actually cause more pain.

Great news—the doctor agreed with initiating a MEB.

Bad news—he stated he’s never done a MEB before and recommended that I consult with my PCM. He said that if the PCM has issues, the PCM can reach back out to him.

The doctor at pain management said he would have the notes and paperwork inputted today. A few hours after the appointment, I checked MHS Genesis, and sure enough the notes say:

“Low back pain, unspecified
27y0 female SSG with chronic low-back pain.
- Lack of good effect with prior therapies to include PT, dry needling, recent ESI and trigger point injections
Given degree of pain and its limiting nature it is reasonable to undergo MEB; Pt will discuss with her PCM

• Hold off on further injections at this time, but consider acupuncture
• Continue low-impact exercise and stretching”

So with all of that being said, who initiates the MEB and is this verbiage sufficient enough to initiate one? I feel so defeated because the ‘my patient history’ section mentions my MRI and the results showing stenosis & contact with the nerve root, as well as sciatica symptoms..but my diagnosis nor plan/assessment portion state that I have sciatica or nerve radiculopathy.

Please advise, because I’m feeling frustrated and defeated.

 

[SGT Golf]

Schedule a follow up appointment with your primary care provider and tell them your pain management doctor has recommended you be referred to the med board. Your PCM should hopefully agree and create a P3 profile for you, which will then be sent up to a higher authority like a brigade surgeon to get a final approval and begin the process.

Your PM doctor probably should have typed out "patient has reached MRDP and is unlikely to recover fully within one year," but it shouldn't be a big issue.