Acute Pain Management Services (APMS), the concept dating back to the 1980s, has witnessed major developments over the last four decades. Initially, APMS was centred around the management of postoperative pain in patients with pain catheters or patient-controlled analgesia. However, in the present era, APMS caters to a wide array of patients which not only include the inpatient postsurgical patient subset but also those with acute or acute on chronic medical conditions such as pancreatitis and post-hospital discharge patients who still require pain relief. APMS comprises a multidisciplinary team that works together to manage various aspects of pain while aiming for improved patient outcomes. Various models of APMS have been described considering the limitations concerning manpower, finances, and infrastructure wherein every institution formulates a team best suited to its organizational structure and design. Having said that, with the ever-compounding complexity of the patient profile, there happens to be an ongoing transition from APMS to Transitional Pain Services (TPS) which is more patient-centric with his increasing involvement in the contextual decision-making. Nonetheless, it is only possible in the backdrop of a thorough preoperative evaluation and history taking, that enables TPS to identify patients who are particularly at high risk of Chronic Postsurgical Pain (CPSP). The former indeed aids in conforming pain protocols to the specific needs and requirements of a patient. Despite all the benefits of APMS, its’ role in improved patient outcomes is not recognised by insurance companies which regulate the diagnosis-based reimbursement rather than outcome dependency. The role of APMS/TPS is not limited to pain scores but it has a special place in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, where adequate pain management features as a key component for successful implementation. However, it remains to be said that while evaluating the role of APMS/TPS in patient outcomes, it is time we embrace advanced tools, ahead of limiting our focus on traditional pain scoring systems.