Since 2014 the Pulmonary Hypertension Association has been working to provide a more useful directory of PAH experts. Prior to this time physicians were listed by request but were not vetted in any way. They simply filled out a survey and were on the site as a PAH expert. This system worked for many years when PAH was relatively unknown and very few treatments were available. … [Read more...]

Understanding the basic terminology of your health insurance is vitally important for patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.  As a consumer of health care you need to understand how the system works and the language the insurance company uses to describe their coverage. Deductible A deductible is the amount of money that the patient must pay before their insurance begins to … [Read more...]

I was recently cruising the Internet looking to see what type of search results I would obtain when I put in the term “pulmonary hypertension specialist in Phoenix”.  I was somewhat mortified.  Every healthcare system in town had a webpage purporting to have a specialized program replete with a range of experts well versed in all aspects of pulmonary hypertension care.  I … [Read more...]

Having a surgical procedure is always stressful.  Having Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and needing a surgery is even more stressful.  Over the years, centers of excellence in PAH care have figured out ways to minimize the risk.  Below I outline some of the important areas to consider when planning for a surgery or invasive procedure. 1.      Is the procedure necessary? The … [Read more...]

One of the great challenges in medicine in general and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in particular is finding a doctor and treatment team that will provide you with the best care.  This is particularly important as treatment choices for PAH medications have become plentiful and more doctors are comfortable with some of the oral medications.  Defining quality medical care is … [Read more...]