Skip Navigation

Pulmonary Medicine

 
Mother and daughter smiling.

The University of Kansas Health System’s pulmonary care team provides advanced care for a complete range of respiratory conditions. From general pulmonary symptoms to complex respiratory illnesses, our specialists, advanced practice providers and nurses deliver the high-quality care you and your loved ones expect and trust.

Our team includes more than 40 board-certified physicians dedicated to multiple subspecialty areas, including critical care and sleep medicine. Our team’s extensive training and knowledge allow us to tailor your care to your unique needs.

We are dedicated to providing exceptional care, outstanding service and leading health education to people in Kansas City, our region and beyond.

We have a variety of doctor appointments available. Learn more or call 913-588-1227 to schedule now.

Conditions treated in pulmonary medicine

As part of our region's premier academic medical center, we treat the full spectrum of pulmonary conditions.

Our specialists have deep experience diagnosing and treating common and rare pulmonary conditions including:

Our role in critical care

As a key part of the critical care team, our specialists provide expert care for hospitalized patients facing complex, life-threatening conditions. We treat many of the region’s sickest patients. We often help extend lives and improve the quality of life for people with very severe illnesses.

The level of care we provide critically ill patients sets our health system apart from community hospitals. Many hospitals transfer their sickest patients to our specialized intensive care units. There, highly skilled nurses and intensivists provide 24/7 care.

According to medical studies, this staffing model improves the quality of care and reduces the risk of medical errors. Statistics show patients spend fewer days in the ICU and are discharged from the hospital sooner.

Our critical care team brings broad and deep experience patients need to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Unparalleled subspecialty care

The focus of our dedicated subspecialists ensures our team’s knowledge and experience with complex pulmonary conditions are second to none.

  • Our nationally recognized asthma specialists provide leading-edge therapies. We offer innovative biologic injectable treatments that block asthma-specific inflammations, improving control and reducing symptoms. This enables many of our patients to successfully stop chronic steroid use. We are also leaders in care for bronchial thermoplasty.
  • We offer the Midwest’s largest adult cystic fibrosis care program and are accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In partnership with the University of Kansas Medical Center, our organization was 1 of 115 participating sites in a clinical trial that led to FDA approval of a breakthrough drug. We were among the nation’s first providers of Trikafta™, which dramatically improves quality of life for many patients managing cystic fibrosis.
  • The health system launched its interventional pulmonology service in 2018, and the team of 3 physicians is now the largest and most advanced in the area. The team works in tandem with interventional radiology and the region’s only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.
  • We offer expertise in rare and complex pulmonary conditions like interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension and sarcoidosis.
  • A powerful partnership between our pulmonary and neurology care teams results in leading treatment for sleep disorders.

Our collaborative, interdisciplinary care model elevates the quality of care we provide for these conditions and many others, including general pulmonary conditions and concerns. Our specialists and subspecialists come together to determine precise diagnoses and personalized treatment plans patient by patient. We offer specialty tests not widely available – such as sweat/chloride testing, nasal/nitric oxide testing and much more – along with detailed and reliable interpretation of results to ensure relevant, effective pulmonary care.

2023-24 US News and World Report - Pulmonology & Lung Surgery

Unmatched care, year after year

We put patients first and it shows. Our program ranked No. 28 among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2024-25. Rankings are based on measurable achievements in quality, safety, nursing excellence and more.

Read about this honor

Procedures

We perform a diverse range of pulmonary and critical care procedures including:

  • Advanced testing
  • Imaging (V/Q lung scans, CT chest scans and X-rays)
  • Interventional pulmonology care
  • Intrabronchial ultrasound
  • Low-dose CAT scan screening
  • Lung cancer screening
  • Lymph node biopsy
  • Nasal/nitric oxide testing
  • Pulmonary function tests
  • Radial EBUS
  • Robotic bronchoscopy
  • Sweat/chloride testing
  • Zephyr® endobronchial valve for emphysema
Group of happy doctors and researchers

Find a doctor

Doctors at The University of Kansas Health System are care providers and researchers at the forefront of new medical discoveries. From primary care to complex conditions, we offer hundreds of specialists.

Find a doctor
Doctors and nurses collaborating

Leading research and clinical trials

As part of one of the nation's premier academic medical centers, our care providers are committed to research and scientific discovery through the University of Kansas Medical Center. We can often include our patients in potentially lifesaving clinical trials and treatment options not available anywhere else.

Our Research