Y
our child often wheezes
and seems short of breath.
Your partner snores
loudly and frequently gasps for air
during sleep. After you’ve smoked
for years, you suspect you have
chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD).
What do each of these situations
have in common?
ey all signal that you should
talk to your Primary Care Provider
(PCP). When a condition is severe,
your doctor may decide to refer
you to a pulmonologist.
Breathing specialists.
A
pulmonologist is a doctor who
specializes in diseases of the lungs
and respiratory system.
Diagnosis and treatment of
conditions that a ect breathing and
the lungs may involve evaluation of:
Sinuses.
Nose.
roat.
Trachea.
Symptoms and illnesses a
pulmonologist may address include:
Welcome,
ACE Members!
If you were a Member of the Access
Coverage and Enrollment (ACE)
Program for adults on December 31,
2013, your health care benefits
coverage moved to the Medi-Cal
program effective January 1, 2014.
In Ventura County, these benefits
are provided by Gold Coast Health
Plan (GCHP). You should have
received a letter from us with
your GCHP membership card and
Member Handbook
. If you have
any questions, please call Member
Services at
888-301-1228
/TTY
888-310-7347
Monday through
Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What is a pulmonologist?
TAKE ACTION
To learn
about the pulmonologists who
are part of our team, visit
www.goldcoasthealthplan.org/
chooseaphysician
and run a
search with “Pulmonology” in
the “Search by Specialty” field.
Asthma.
Breathing di culty.
A cough that lasts a long time.
COPD.
Lung cancer.
Pneumonia.
Pulmonary hypertension.
Sleep apnea.
Tuberculosis.
Pulmonologists may also
manage ventilators for patients
who need breathing assistance.
Education.
Pulmonologists
generally attend medical school
for four years and then receive ve
to six years of additional training.
Sources: American Board of Medical Specialists; American College of Physicians
Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Long Beach, CA
Permit No. 2041
Issue 2 • Spring 2014
health
winning
