Frequently Asked Questions

Gables Pain is in network with Ambetter, Cigna Commercial, Cigna Medicare, Devoted Health, Florida Community Care, Florida Medicaid, Humana, Medicare, Oscar, Preferred Care Network, Preferred Care Partners, Solis, Sunshine Health and Wellcare, and only with these plans. Coverage still varies by plan and by procedure, so we verify your benefits ahead of the visit and you know where you stand before any treatment is booked. If you are not sure whether your plan is one of these, call the office at (305) 204-5917 before you schedule. You can read more on our insurance page. Please bring your insurance card and photo ID to your first appointment.

Your initial consultation with Dr. Steinberger is a thorough evaluation of your pain condition, and it is not rushed. We will review your medical history, current medications, previous treatments, and imaging studies if available. Dr. Steinberger will perform a thorough physical examination focused on identifying the source of your pain. Together, you'll discuss your symptoms, how pain affects your daily activities, and your treatment goals. By the end of your visit, you'll receive a personalized treatment plan outlining recommended therapies and next steps toward pain relief.

Referral requirements depend on your specific insurance plan. Many HMO and managed care plans require a referral from your primary care physician before seeing a specialist. PPO plans typically allow you to schedule directly without a referral, though it's always best to check with your insurance provider first. Even if your insurance doesn't require a referral, we encourage coordination with your primary care physician as part of comprehensive care. Call the office at (305) 204-5917 and we can help you work out whether a referral is needed before you book.

This is a single-physician practice, so availability depends on the time of year and how full the schedule already is. The honest answer is that it varies, and we would rather not quote you a waiting time we cannot stand behind. Please call the office at (305) 204-5917, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, and we will look at the schedule with you and find the first appointment that suits you. Do mention when you call if your pain has worsened sharply. If you believe you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department rather than waiting for an appointment.

Please bring your insurance card, a valid photo ID, and a list of all current medications including dosages. If you have previous imaging studies such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans related to your pain condition, please bring the actual images on disc or have them sent to our office in advance. A list of previous treatments you've tried and any relevant medical records from other specialists will help Dr. Steinberger understand your complete pain history. New patient paperwork is completed at the office, so please arrive about 15 minutes early to fill out your forms. If you have questions about what to bring, just ask when you call to schedule.

Yes. Care at Gables Pain is provided in person at our Coral Gables office, at 401 S. Le Jeune Road, Suite 300. Interventional pain management rests on a hands-on physical examination and on image-guided procedures, and both of those have to happen in the office. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm. If a question comes up between visits, call the office at (305) 204-5917 or email relief@gablespainclinic.com and leave a message with a number where you can be reached.

Our interventional procedures are minimally invasive and performed with the utmost attention to your comfort. Local anesthesia is used to numb the treatment area, and many patients report feeling only mild pressure during the procedure itself. Some procedures may be performed with conscious sedation to ensure maximum comfort. You may experience some soreness at the injection site for a day or two following treatment, similar to post-workout muscle soreness. Dr. Steinberger's fellowship training in interventional techniques emphasizes precision and patient comfort throughout every procedure. We will thoroughly explain what to expect and address any concerns before beginning treatment.

Response time varies depending on the specific treatment and your individual condition. Some patients experience immediate relief following interventional procedures like nerve blocks, while others notice gradual improvement over several days to weeks. Treatments such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) generally work over a longer timeframe, because they depend on the body's own healing response, and any change tends to appear over weeks rather than days. Response varies from person to person and no result can be guaranteed. During your consultation, Dr. Steinberger will set realistic expectations about the likely timeline based on your diagnosis and your plan. Follow-up appointments let us see how you are getting on and adjust the plan as needed.

Medication management is an integral part of comprehensive pain care, and any changes to your current regimen will be made gradually and safely under Dr. Steinberger's supervision. Never stop taking prescribed medications without consulting your physician first. During your initial evaluation, we'll review all current medications and discuss how they fit into your overall treatment plan. As interventional treatments take effect, some patients are able to reduce their pain medications over time, though that is not the case for everyone. The aim is to address the underlying source of the pain so that medication plays as small a role as it can. All medication adjustments are made collaboratively with careful attention to your comfort and safety.

We understand that unexpected situations arise. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please give us as much notice as you can, ideally at least 24 hours, so the time can be offered to another patient who is waiting. Procedure appointments that need special preparation or sedation are worth telling us about even earlier, because the preparation has to be unwound as well. To cancel or reschedule, call the office at (305) 204-5917 as soon as you know, and we will find you another time. If you want to know exactly how our current cancellation policy applies to your appointment, please ask the office.

Our practice philosophy emphasizes interventional treatments that address the source of the pain rather than relying primarily on opioid medications. While opioids may have a role in certain acute or cancer-related pain situations, they are generally not a long-term solution for chronic pain and carry significant risks. Dr. Steinberger's fellowship training focuses on interventional techniques that may reduce the need for opioid therapy. If you are currently taking opioid medications prescribed by another physician, we will work collaboratively to ensure continuity of care while exploring more effective, safer alternatives. Our comprehensive approach aims to improve function and quality of life through targeted treatments rather than medication dependence.

We accept cash, checks, and all major credit cards. For patients with insurance coverage, co-payments are due at the time of service. If you have a high-deductible plan or are paying out of pocket, we can give you a cost estimate before treatment so there are no surprises. For procedures that insurance does not cover, self-pay pricing is available on request. Billing here is handled by the office directly rather than by an outside service, so please call (305) 204-5917 and we will go through your particular situation with you.

Gables Pain is a single-physician practice. Dr. Tristan Steinberger is double board-certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in anesthesiology and in pain medicine, and he completed a fellowship in Interventional Chronic Pain at the University of Vermont. That means the physician who evaluates you is the one who performs your procedure and the one you see at follow-up, rather than a rotating group of providers. The practice concentrates on minimally invasive, image-guided procedures rather than relying primarily on medication. Visits are unhurried enough to go through your history properly and to build a plan around what you actually want to get back to doing.

Absolutely. Many of our patients come to us after surgery, whether experiencing persistent post-surgical pain or new pain that developed after a procedure. Post-surgical pain syndromes are a recognized area within interventional pain management, and Dr. Steinberger has performed thousands of interventional pain procedures over the course of his career. Sometimes pain persists because scar tissue, nerve damage, or adjacent structures are causing continued symptoms that surgery didn't address. Our minimally invasive treatments can often provide significant relief without requiring additional surgery. Even if you've had multiple surgeries or been told "there's nothing more that can be done," interventional pain management may offer new options for improvement.

If you are experiencing severe or sudden-onset pain, or symptoms such as loss of bowel or bladder control, severe weakness or numbness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or signs of infection such as fever and spreading redness, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away. Those symptoms can indicate serious conditions that need urgent medical attention, and they should not wait. Please do not use this website, email, or a voicemail message to report an emergency. Gables Pain is a small outpatient practice and does not provide emergency or after-hours medical care. For an urgent question that is not an emergency, call the office at (305) 204-5917 during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, and leave a message with a number where you can be reached if no one is able to pick up.

Dr. Steinberger performs a range of minimally invasive and image-guided treatments, including epidural injections, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), basivertebral nerve ablation, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), exosome injections, shockwave therapy, cryotherapy, CGRP antagonists, sphenopalatine ganglion blocks, occipital nerve blocks, and Sprint peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS). Which of these makes sense depends entirely on your diagnosis, and working that out is what the first visit is for. There is more detail on our services page. If a treatment you have read about elsewhere is not on that list, ask about it at your consultation rather than assuming we provide it.

Regenerative treatments aim to support the body's own repair processes rather than only masking symptoms. At Gables Pain that means platelet-rich plasma (PRP), exosome injections, and shockwave therapy. We do not offer stem cell therapy. These approaches have been studied most in conditions such as osteoarthritis, tendon injury, and degenerative disc disease, but the evidence base is still developing, responses vary between individuals, and no particular outcome can be promised. During your consultation, Dr. Steinberger will go through whether any of them is a reasonable option for you, based on your diagnosis, your overall health, your goals, and what the current evidence actually supports for your condition.

Recovery time varies depending on the specific procedure performed. Many of our minimally invasive interventional treatments are outpatient procedures that allow you to return home the same day. Many people are able to resume light activities within a day and return to work soon after, though we generally recommend avoiding strenuous exercise or heavy lifting for several days following treatment. If sedation is used during your procedure, you will need someone to drive you home and should plan to rest for the remainder of that day. Dr. Steinberger will provide specific post-procedure instructions tailored to your treatment and individual circumstances. We also schedule follow-up appointments to monitor your recovery and ensure optimal healing. Our goal is to minimize disruption to your daily life while maximizing treatment effectiveness.

Medical records and imaging studies can be requested by contacting our office directly. For your privacy and security, we require a signed medical release authorization form before releasing any protected health information. This form can be completed in person, or we can mail or email it to you for signature. Once we receive your signed authorization, we will process your request in line with HIPAA requirements. If any fee applies to your request, the office will tell you what it is before copies are made. If you need records sent to another physician for consultation or continuing care, we are happy to arrange that transfer. If your request is urgent, say so when you call.

Dr. Tristan Steinberger, MD is double board-certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology, in anesthesiology and in pain medicine. He earned his medical degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his anesthesia residency with the Sunrise GME Health Consortium in Las Vegas. He then completed a fellowship in Interventional Chronic Pain at the University of Vermont, which is the training specific to minimally invasive, image-guided pain procedures. He has performed thousands of interventional pain procedures. Board certification requires passing the board's examinations and maintaining ongoing continuing education to stay current in the field.