Who We Are

We are specialists in pulmonary diseases. Pulmonary specialists are internists who have been trained in internal medicine and subsequently have received additional training in the field of diseases of the respiratory system. Our primary areas of concern are diseases of the lungs and bronchial tubes, but often we must evaluate the heart and upper respiratory tract, including the nose and mouth, as well as chest and body functions. We often work with other physicians in providing care for patients with severe medical problems in the hospital. Historically, pulmonary physicians treated infectious diseases (i.e., tuberculosis), but chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, bronchitis, and lung cancer have become more common. Our practice of pulmonary diseases also includes problems of blood circulation through the lung (i.e., blood clots), immunologic diseases (i.e., asthma), chest trauma, respiratory failure, sleep apnea, and occupational and environmental diseases of the lung.

We do not perform surgery. However, we may often insert needles into the chest to remove fluid from the chest or to obtain a sample of the lining of the chest wall or even of the lung itself. We also often perform bronchoscopy to examine the bronchial tree. We do limit our practice to diseases of the chest and strongly recommend that you have an internist or family physician to take care of your non-pulmonary needs.

Appointments and Office Hours

We only accept referrals and our appointments are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. We request that you make your appointments as far in advance as possible. We also have a certified adult nurse practitioner who rotates between offices to see patients on a "work-in" basis when scheduling with the physician is not possible or if you are having increasing difficulties and feel you need to be seen. If you have outside laboratory reports, chest x-rays or CT scans, we ask that you bring these with you at the time of your appointment. Your promptness in keeping appointments is appreciated and we ask that you call ahead if you will be late or require any changes

Approximately one half hour of our time is spent with patients in the Intensive Care Unit and their needs cannot be scheduled. This frequently leads to delays and interruptions which are beyond our control. For these circumstances, we ask your patience and understanding. When possible, we will try to notify you of anticipated delays in the office appointment schedule. You are invited to call the office prior to leaving for your appointment to be certain that your physician's schedule has not been delayed.

Phone Policies

I. NON EMERGENCIES: For non-emergency calls such as prescription refills, you should contact your office during regular office hours (9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays). Routine refills will not be approved at other times. For other non-emergency calls, our clinical staff will be available to assist you during normal business hours. We do ask that you provide full information to the clinical staff. Please avoid waiting until 4:30 Friday evening to call in if you are having increasing pulmonary problems throughout the week.

II. EMERGENCIES: One of the group's physicians is always on call for emergencies and may be reached by dialing the appropriate office number. However, if symptoms are severe, you may need to go to the emergency room. Your doctor will be notified by the hospital or office.

Smoking

Smoking is NOT allowed in any of our offices.

Financial Policies

Our fees are designed to reflect the amount of time spent with you and with your care. We participate with most major health plans and accept Medicare assignment. If you have any questions concerning your insurance, please feel free to call our business office and we will be happy to assist you.

Weather

Rarely does our Texas weather preclude opening the offices. If, however, there is ice or snow on the streets, please listen to the area school closings. If the Fort Worth Independent School District is closed, the Fort Worth Medical District offices, Huguley, Fort Worth Southwest, Bedford, Grapevine and North Richland Hills offices will be closed. If Arlington Independent School District is closed, the Arlington North and South offices will be closed.

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