Overview of the Grant Project

The Life Beyond Pain Collaboration is a two-year feasibility study funded by The Mayday Fund to replicate and refine a successful 10-week multidisciplinary group visit program for chronic pain management. The project is designed to help people living with chronic pain by providing them with knowledge and tools to better manage their pain and improve their lives. The providers support them with frequent check-ins to help them sustain these positive lifestyle changes. Crucially, the project tests whether the model can be financially sustainable and scalable across diverse healthcare systems.

The model was developed at the OHSU Richmond Clinic and includes:

• The Pain Education Toolkit
• Team-based care
• A psychologically safe group environment
• Financial sustainability within fee-for-service systems
• Longitudinal follow-up through structured Lifestyle Goal Check-ins

This project will test whether the Richmond model can be successfully implemented in diverse clinical environments in four different healthcare systems.

Core Objectives

• Replicate the Richmond 10-week group visit model in four additional clinics
• Pilot structured 12-month Lifestyle Goal follow-up
• Measure patient outcomes (relative satisfaction in lifestyle domains, PEG, PSEQ)
• Assess provider experience and burnout impact (Maslach Burnout Inventory)
• Evaluate financial sustainability across systems
• Develop a standardized implementation guide for broader dissemination

The Collaboration includes monthly virtual learning sessions, shared implementation materials, centralized research coordination, and structured peer exchange between participating clinics.

Grant Funding

The Mayday Fund is providing two years of funding to support this feasibility study. If the project helps people living with chronic pain gain practical skills, tools, and ongoing support to better manage their pain and improve their lives — and proves financially sustainable — the model may serve as the foundation for broader publication and implementation across additional healthcare systems.

The Mayday Fund is a private foundation dedicated to advancing innovative approaches to pain management and reducing human suffering associated with pain; more information is available at https://maydayfund.org.

The Model

The Life Beyond Pain program includes:

• 10 weekly multidisciplinary group visits
• Eight educational modules (Understanding Pain, Activity, Sleep, Mood, Nutrition, Flare-Ups, Medications, Social Connection)
• Embodiment practices (mindfulness, movement, breathwork)
• Optional acupuncture/acupressure (site dependent)
• Structured Lifestyle Goal setting in Week 10
• 12 months of follow-up check-ins

The program does not manage medications or procedural care; patients continue medical management with their existing prescribers.

Principal Investigators

Jason Kroening-Roche, MD, MPH, DipABLM
Dr. Jason Kroening-Roche is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University and Medical Director of the Addiction Medicine program at the OHSU Richmond Clinic. He practices full spectrum medicine across the lifespan, including delivering babies, caring for children and adults, and supporting patients at the end of life. He developed the Richmond Clinic Life Beyond Pain program in collaboration with Kristin Erickson and Charles Lev. It grew out of a desire to offer his patients a space where they can explore what healing might look like in their own lives–given all they bring with them on their pain journeys–and to do so in community with others. He leads all clinical aspects of the project and oversees the research program.

Mark Stephens, BS
Mark Stephens is President of Change Management Consulting. He is the director of the Northwest Pain Guidance organization and the developer and producer of the Pain Education Toolkit, in collaboration with several clinical experts. He has developed online courses, guidelines, and websites resources for treating chronic pain for clinicians and healthcare organizations since 2002. He provides logistic support to the clinics, focuses on financial sustainability. He assists with patient recruitment and works with patients to complete the four research surveys during the year.

Participating Clinics

PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center

1515 Village Dr, Cottage Grove, OR 97424
This clinic provides comprehensive primary care and community-based medical services in Cottage Grove, Oregon.

• Nick Gideonse, MD
• Deirdre Simpson-Rhoads, BHS

OHSU Primary Care Clinic, Gabriel Park

4411 S.W. Vermont Street, Portland, OR 97219
This clinic provides comprehensive primary care services within the Oregon Health & Science University health system in Portland, Oregon.

• Kira Talo, RN
• Kristin Gilbert, MD
• Jenny Mitchell, PA

Winding Waters Medical Clinic

603 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828
This clinic provides comprehensive primary care and integrated behavioral health services as a federally qualified health center serving rural northeastern Oregon.

• Kathryn Mayhew, PA-C
• Brandon Miller, LCSW CADC

Kettering Health Medical Group Primary Care Soin Family Practice

2145 North Fairfield Rd, Suite 100, Beavercreek, OH 45431
This clinic provides comprehensive family medicine and primary care services within the Kettering Health system in Beavercreek, Ohio.

• Jonathan Toot, MD
• Elizabeth Serra-Hsu, MD
• Rachel St Bernard, MD

• Jason Kroening-Roche, MD
• Kristin Erickson, BHS
• Charles Lev, Acupuncturist

Important Notice

These web pages are to support the Life Beyond Pain Collaboration project and are not intended as a general public resource. If you have landed on this page and would like more information about the Life Beyond Pain Collaboration, please contact: Mark Stephens at Mark.Stephens@NorthwestPainGuidance.org