DOCTORS WHO TREAT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION

PHA provides the following lists of physicians who treat PH as a service to patients and does not specifically endorse any individual physician. All information has been provided by the doctors so that you can make your own assessment of their qualifications. All doctors on the lists are members of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinicians and Researchers (PHCR), PHA’s membership network for physicians and researchers. To find a doctor outside of the U.S., visit www.PHAEurope.org.

Pulmonary hypertension is an uncommon but serious disease, and most generalists have little training or experience in PH treatment. Therefore, patients are encouraged to see a PH specialist. These doctors have had extensive training and will provide you with the best care possible.

PHA’s PH Care Centers initiative seeks to identify Centers with expertise in PH that demonstrated an ability to properly diagnose the disease and have the capability to manage these complex patients. Each accredited Center has opened its doors to a site review conducted by a PH physician and coordinator selected by PHA for their expertise in the field.

Many doctors who treat PH are PH specialists, and they have focused their practices on the diagnosis and treatment of PH. These physicians are typically cardiologists, pulmonologists or rheumatologists who have a special interest in PH. PH Clinicians and Researchers (PHCR) is a membership network for physicians treating PH. PHA does not specifically endorse any individual member of PHCR, as they may not have gone through the PHCC accreditation process, but provides this information as another tool for you to find a PH doctor.

  • When did you begin caring for PH patients, and how many PH patients do you currently treat?
  • How much of your practice is devoted to PH patients specifically?
  • Do you have a specific nurse dedicated to assisting in the care of PH patients?
  • Do you require all patients to undergo cardiac catheterization (including acute vasodilator testing when appropriate) prior to prescribing a therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension?
  • What PH therapies do you prescribe and do you currently provide access to all PAH therapies including prostanoid therapy (inhaled as well as injectable) to your patients? (While you may ultimately be placed on a different therapy, a center’s familiarity with treating patients on the most advanced PH therapy is a good reflection of its level of PH expertise.)
  • Do you currently provide access to clinical trials for your patients or conduct clinical trials on PH medications?
  • Have you referred patients for lung or heart/lung transplant?
  • Have you referred patients for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy?
  • Does the hospital your patients are admitted to have specific nursing and pharmacy protocols and training for the care of patients hospitalized with PAH (especially for patients on IV medications)?
  • Does the hospital your patients are admitted to have PAH medications in stock (especially prostanoids)?
  • Is the Emergency Department that your patients are usually referred to familiar with PAH and all the different treatments used, including emergency management of injectable prostanoids?
  • Which educational meetings/lectures regarding PH have you attended in the last two years?
  • For pediatric patients: Do you currently treat other children who have PH?

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

The information listed in the Find a Doctor Directory has been self-reported by participating physicians. PHA does not endorse any physician or treatment center. The central purpose of the Find a Doctor Directory is to provide patients with a resource to locate physicians and to provide physicians with a method for connecting with colleagues. The information contained herein is not to be used for other purposes without express permission from the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. Any person requesting such permission should contact the PHA Medical Services Department at Medical@PHAssociation.org.