Southwest Family Physicians 

Below are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

Why Family Practice?

Family medicine is the continuing and current expression of the historical medical practitioner. The first physicians were generalists. For thousands of years, these generalists provided all of the medical care available. They diagnosed and treated illnesses, performed surgery, and delivered babies. As medical knowledge expanded and technology advanced, many physicians chose to limit their practices to specific, defined areas of medicine.

The family practice clinic functions as the patient's medical home within the health care system. The family physician is the physician of first contact in most situations and, as the initial provider, is in a unique position to form a bond with the patient. The family physician evaluates the patient's total health needs, and provides personal care within several fields of medicine. The family physician's care is comprehensive and not limited by age, sex, organ system or type of problem, be it biological, behavioral, or social. The family physician's care utilizes knowledge of the patient in the context of the family and the community. This care emphasizes disease prevention and health promotion. The family physician refers the patient when indicated to other sources of care while preserving continuity of care. The family physician's role as a cost-effective coordinator of the patient's health services is integral to the care provided.

Southwest Family Physicians, is one of the few family practice clinics which offer obstetric care. We are able to care for you and your growing family without disrupting your continuity of care. We offer comprehensive, patient-centered health care for your entire family, the old fashioned way-with respect, kindness and dedication to serving each individual's health needs.

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) have been practicing in Oregon for over 30 years! In the year 2003, Certified Nurse-Midwives delivered 6,721 babies in Oregon which is 14.4% of all deliveries for that year.

Certified Nurse-Midwives provide the following services:
· Annual Gynecology Visits
· Treatment of Women’s Gynecology Concerns
· Contraceptive Counseling & Management
· Breast Exams & Education
· Menopausal Care & Treatment of Symptoms
· Holistic Prenatal Care and Education
· Caring & Professional Support during Labor
· Delivery of Babies whether they be at Home, in a Birth Center or at a Hospital
    The midwives at SWFP deliver exclusively at local hospitals. We offer:
· Newborn Care including
· Breastfeeding Support & Instruction
· Postpartum Care & Support for your family

A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced academic and clinical experience, which enables him or her to diagnose and manage most common and many chronic illnesses, either independently or as part of a health care team. A nurse practitioner provides much outpatient care previously offered only by physicians and in most states, including Oregon, has the ability to autonomously prescribe medications. In Oregon, Nurse Practitioners are licensed to practice medicine independently. A nurse practitioner provides high-quality, cost-effective and individualized care for the life span of patient's special needs.

NPs focus largely on health maintenance, disease prevention, counseling and patient education in a wide variety of settings. With a strong emphasis on primary care, nurse practitioners are employed within a variety of different specialties, including nurse midwifery, family practice, psychiatric mental health, adult and women's helath geriatrics and acute care. Here at Southwest Family Physicians our Nurse Practitioners specialize in Midwifery, Family Practice and Psychiatric Mental Health.

In the state of Oregon, Nurse Practitioners are required to have been educated through programs that grant a master's degree. A registered nurse is recommended to first have extensive clinical experience even before applying to a nurse practitioner program. An intensive preceptorship under the direct supervision of an experienced nurse practitioner or a physician, as well as instruction in nursing theory, are key components to most NP programs.

What is a Physician Assistant?

All Physician assistants (PA-Cs) are qualified by graduation from an accredited physician assistant educational program and certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

Within the physician/PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. A PA-C's responsibilities may also include education, research, and administrative services. Physician assistants work wherever physicians or health care organizations employ them. They can be found in virtually all health care settings.

Physician assistants can take medical histories, perform physical exams, order and interpret laboratory tests, diagnose and treat illnesses, counsel patients, assist in surgery, and set fractures. Physician assistants are educated as generalists in medicine; all programs emphasize primary care. Although their education and credentialing are based on a primary care foundation, PA-Cs can work in specialty fields, such as cardiovascular surgery, orthopedics, and emergency medicine. The largest proportion opt for the primary care specialty areas of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology.

  What is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine?

Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) practice a "whole person" approach to medicine and they have a special passion for preventive health care. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they regard your body as an integrated whole. They receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system -- your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of its body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an injury or illness in one part of your body can affect another part of it.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose injury and illness and to encourage your body’s natural tendency toward good health. By combining all available medical procedures with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

Osteopathic medicine is a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. The philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body’s ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit.

MDs and DOs are very similar in that applicants to both D.O. and M.D. medical colleges are required to have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on scientific courses. Both D.O.s and M.D.s complete four years of basic medical education. After medical school, both D.O.s and M.D.s can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine -- such as surgery, family practice or psychiatry--after completing a residency program (typically two to six years of additional training). Both D.O.s and M.D.s must pass comparable state licensing exams. D.O.s and M.D.s both practice in fully accredited and licensed health care facilities.

What is Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Chinese Medicine and specifically acupuncture started in China as a system of healing over 3,000 years ago. Over the centuries it has evolved and grown throughout Asia as a time honored form of healing. Today, acupuncture is used successfully, not only in Asia, but also throughout the world.

Fine, hair thin needles are inserted into precisely located “points” in the body in order to harmonize the flow of vital energy, Qui (pronounced “Chi”), that enlivens all things. The “Yin-Yang” or Tai Qi symbol above reflects the fundamental idea of balance and harmony within Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).

According to TCM, several attributes distinguish a healthy person. Including: strong and balanced pulses, a uniform pink tongue with a thin white coating, lustrous skin and hair, bright eyes, keen hearing, good posture, pleasant voice, sweet breath, relaxed and alert demeanor and fluid physical movement. These outer signs reflect a harmonious and dynamic balance within the persons vital systems. Such a person continuously and successfully adjusts to and flows with life’s daily challenges. However, a disruption in the flow, for any reason, will cause imbalances within that person. If a balanced flow is not restored, symptoms or pathologies manifest. Because of this perspective, TCM addresses not only the symptoms, but also the patterns and causative factors creating disease.

Acupuncture is one of the most direct ways to restore movement toward a more balanced, healthy, free flowing state of being. Furthermore, when combined with herbal therapy, a healthy balanced diet, exercise and life style, the results can be even greater and longer lasting.

Is Acupuncture Painful?
Acupuncture feels very different from the sensation of receiving an injection. Injections often create pain because of the rigid, large diameter, hollow needles used and the pressure of medication being forced into tissue. In contrast, acupuncture needles are flexible and hair thin. When inserted by a skilled practitioner, most people experience minimum discomfort. Treatments are often very relaxing and many patients report falling asleep during a treatment.

What will You Experience?
Reactions can vary after an acupuncture treatment as your vital energy begins to move toward balance. Some anxious patients report feelings of deep relaxation and a desire to nap. While lethargic patients often experience a renewed sense of vitality and clarity. Sometimes there is a temporary intensification of physical or emotional symptoms, as energy works through deep blockages.

Is Acupuncture Safe?
One of the great advantages of acupuncture is the lack of negative side effects. The hair thin, flexible needles generally cause no bleeding when inserted or removed.
Only one-use, disposable, sterile, stainless steel needles are used, thus eliminating the risk of needle-borne infection.

Who Can Practice Acupuncture?
The State of Oregon, through the Board of Medical Examiners, has very strict laws governing the practice of Acupuncture. Licensure by the Board is based on several criteria including graduation from a nationally and locally accredited graduate program in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and the successful completion of written and practical national boards. Training includes studies in Western Medical science, Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal medicine, Oriental Massage and several hundred hours of observational and hands on clinical internship. Licensure permits a practitioner to work independently using Acupuncture, Oriental massage, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary and life style advice based on the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Why is acupuncture growing?
·It is safe, effective and lacks side effects.
·It helps people regain control of their own bodies and health care.
·It works in conjunction with Western Medicine to treat illness more effectively.
·The whole person is treated, rather than just the disease.
·It stimulates the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Acupuncture Rates
Check with your insurance. If they cover acupuncture, we can bill them for you.
Cost negotiable on an individual basis.