Our Services

Walk-In Clinic

Physicians Group Associates Sleep Lab

Do you fall asleep at inappropriate times or snore loudly?

About 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep problem and nearly 60% of them have a chronic disorder. Sleep apnea affects about 20 million Americans. Sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke, and mental impairment. Narcolepsy is estimated to effect another 250,000 people.

The Spring Creek Sleep Lab offers diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea and narcolepsy. We will evaluate your sleep in a comfortable non-hospital environment, diagnose problems, and find treatments that work for you. A range of treatment options includes continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) which is highly successful at promoting uninterrupted sleep.

Links:

• American Academy of Sleep Medicine
• American Sleep Apnea Association
• National Sleep Foundation
• Narcolepsy Network
  

Pulmonary Function Testing Lab

The Pulmonary Function Laboratory provides valuable information to physicians regarding lung function and breathing problems. This could help determine the cause of shortness of breath or may help confirm asthma or emphysema, or measure how a disease is progressing or how a patient is responding to therapy. The patient breathes through a mouthpiece while seated comfortably in a chair inside the testing machine. Testing takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, but could take up to 2 hours. The test may also be ordered prior to some surgeries to help predict recovery.


The test is preformed by a Respiratory Therapist Monday through Wednesday.


Preparing for a Pulmonary Function Test?

• Do not take any breathing medications 4 hours prior to testing.
• Do not ingest any caffeine 6 hours prior to testing
• If you smoke , smoking should be stopped 24 hours prior to testing
  

Links

• Allergy and Asthma Network: Mothers of Asthmatics
• American Lung Association
• Global Initiative for Asthma
• American Thoracic Society
• American Association for Respiratory Care
• American College of Chest Physicians

Bone Density Care

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a serious disease characterized by low bone mass. Loss of bone mass can occur for many years without symptoms. If left untreated, this can lead to fractures, pain and spinal deformity.

Physicians Group Associates has a Bone Density Lab equipped with a DEXA or Dual Energy X-ray Absorptionmetry machine used to measure bone mineral density.

DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) is the most widely available method of bone densitometry, and most insurance plans will cover the cost for the test, if certain medical indicators are present. The test is painless, and requires no injections or any other advance preparation. During a DEXA exam, you remain fully clothed on a padded table while the system scans one or more areas of bone (usually the spine and hip). The e exam takes about fifteen minutes to complete. Your bone density is plotted against the "normal" control data. A physician then interprets the data and creates a report on the status of your bone density.

Patients Recommended for Bone Mineral Density Measurements:

• Post-menopausal women with at least one additional risk factor or with a fracture.
• All women older than 65.
• Women who have been on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for prolonged periods of time.

Medicare Guidelines for Bone Densitometry:

1. Estrogen deficient women at clinical risk for osteoporosis.
2. Individuals with vertebral abnormalities.
3. Individuals receiving, or planning to receive, long-term glucocorticoids.
4. Individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism.
5. Individuals being monitored to assess the response of efficacy of an approved osteoporosis drug therapy.
6. Frequency of BMD testing is once per two years.

Links

• The National Osteoporosis Foundation
• The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Laboratory

Radiology

Physicians Group Associates has state-of-the-art 16 slice CT scan on location for high quality and patient convenience. We also offer musculoskeletal ultrasound and EMG services on site. Diagnostic procedures include routine radiology.

All technologists are registered in their specialized area of imaging. Many technologists have multiple credentials.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound imaging or sonography uses high frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body. Ultrasound exams do not ionizing radiation. They capture images of the structure and movement of the body's organs and vascular structures. This technology is used to diagnose and treat a variety of medical conditions. Some of the ultrasound technology used at Physicians Group include pelvic, abdominal, soft tissue, musculoskeletal, scrotum, thyroid, prostate, and vascular ultrasounds. Physicians Group has the latest 3D and 4D ultrasound technology to provide the best possible diagnostic images for our patients.

Ambulatory BP monitoring

Ambulatory Blood Pressure monitoring is done with a small machine you wear on a belt. The blood pressure cuff on the monitor can be worn under your clothes without anyone seeing it.

This machine lets your doctor find out what your blood pressure was every 15 to 30 minutes during a normal day and night. The information collected by this machine can help you and your doctor see if your blood pressure treatment is working, to help determine what is causing your blood pressure, or to aid in the diagnosis of other conditions.