| Pulmonary Medicine
Associates (PMA) was incorporated in
1973 with its main office in Carmichael, California.
As the growth in Carmichael, Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom
and Elk Grove increased, and as medicine became more
specialized, it was clear that additional physicians
with pulmonary training were needed and, thus, new pulmonary
physicians were added to the medical group. Since pulmonary
physicians are involved with patients with pulmonary
infections, the group found it important to add physicians
with specialty training in infectious diseases. There
are presently four physicians in the group who are board
certified in infectious diseases. As the group increased
in size it opened additional offices in Sacramento and
Roseville.
Over the past 15 years medicine has seen many changes
in the way care is delivered. The critically ill
patient, many of whom require breathing assistance,
monitoring of cardiovascular status, and treatment
of infectious diseases required a physician with
appropriate training. This specialized training has
been an integral part of the pulmonary physician
and, subsequently, the specialty of critical care
medicine was recognized with its own training requirements
and board certifications. Nearly all physicians who
complete a pulmonary fellowship are qualified to
take the boards in critical care medicine and the
majority of members of Pulmonary Medicine Associates
are so qualified and/or board certified in critical
care.
The training of the pulmonologist, as noted above,
is broad and now includes the study of patients with
medically significant sleep problems. Again, this
has evolved into a specialty of its own and there
is now board certification in sleep medicine. Pulmonary
Medicine Associates has developed its own Medicare-certified
sleep center and has several certified and qualified
physicians in the specialty of sleep medicine.
The medical group offers a broad spectrum of services
similar to that which can be found at a university
level. The medical group was involved with the development
of the hyperbaric unit and chamber at Mercy San Juan
Hospital, for many years the only such unit within
50 miles of Sacramento. It also has physicians trained
specifically in laser bronchoscopy, brachytherapy
(localized radiation of lung tumors), and percutaneous
pleuroscopy. In addition, the medical group was the
second in the country to participate in the concept
of external intensive care unit (eICU) where a specially
trained physician monitors patients in intensive
care units when their physicians are not available.
The group provides expertise in independent medical evaluations and testimony
in medical-legal cases. Physicians in the group have served as chiefs
of the department of medicine at each of the community hospitals and
also as chiefs of staff at these hospitals. Our physicians have been
trained at most of the outstanding medical training programs in the country
including University of Washington, University of California, Davis,
University of Michigan, Duke University, Yale University, Harvard University,
Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, State University
of New York, University of Arizona, Loma Linda University, and Baylor
University.
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