Serving those who served: Desert Pain Offers Quality Care to VA Patients

For over 15 years, Desert Pain Specialists has stood as a pillar of support for Southern Utah’s veteran community, offering specialized care to VA patients – those who have served in the armed forces.

At the heart of this mission is Dr. Steven Larsen, an interventional pain management specialist and proud Army veteran. Larsen’s unique perspective, shaped by his experiences both in the military and as a medical professional, drives the clinic’s unwavering dedication to providing exceptional care to VA patients.

“We’ll never turn down a VA patient,” he said. “There’s a large population of veterans here, and to neglect them would be to neglect the best part of our community: those who have been willing to serve.”

Larsen served combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan along with assignments to Kuwait and South Korea during six years of active duty, followed by four years in the Utah Army National Guard. As Southern Utah’s only pain physician with an extensive military background, he understands the unique and complex medical needs of veterans, as well as the barriers they might encounter when seeking treatment.

“I know what it’s like to be a veteran in the VA system,” he said. “I understand how service in the military affects not only you but also your family. I understand some of the less obvious needs of veteran patients, reading between the lines to see what’s not disclosed or documented to get to know them a bit better. And I expect us all to take good care of them.”

Desert Pain is Southern Utah’s largest pain management provider serving VA patients. In fact, the clinic has established a specialized team that focuses exclusively on working with veterans as well as the VA to ensure that all necessary paperwork is organized, submitted and authorized for treatment. With more than 25 years of combined experience in the VA system, this team is highly trained to help ease the burden on local patients and streamline their access to care.

Desert Pain currently serves almost 1,000 VA patients, a number that continues to grow as their reputation for cutting-edge and personalized care spreads throughout Southern Utah. The clinic treats a broad spectrum of chronic and acute pain conditions with interventional pain management techniques ranging from joint injections to minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Accepting VA patients isn’t always in a clinic’s best interest, Larsen said, but Desert Pain doesn’t back down from a challenge. From the beginning, they’ve been committed to showing their gratitude for Southern Utah’s veterans and their families, and the many sacrifices they’ve made to preserve the American way of life.

“Even though there may be administrative burdens and unfavorable financial outcomes, we’ll never abandon our VA patients,” he added. “We’ll stick with them.”

While Desert Pain’s dedication to veterans is unparalleled, their commitment to providing compassionate care extends to all patients. The clinic accepts every type of insurance, including Medicaid and state-sponsored plans, ensuring that everyone, regardless of background or financial status, has access to pain management.

“It’s essential that we serve every class of patient, including overlooked patient populations,” Larsen said. “The same commitment we give to vets, we give to everyone.”

Desert Pain is a team of highly skilled specialists seeking to improve patient quality of life through innovative pain management solutions. The clinic stands at the forefront of treating acute and chronic pain in the greater St. George area by offering patients shorter wait times and more one-on-one attention from expert physicians and advanced practitioners trained in the latest procedures. And with 11 auxiliary locations across southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and central Utah, they’re prepared to serve the needs of the region’s growing population.

Call 435-216-7000 or visit desertpainspecialists.com to schedule an appointment today.