Frequently Asked Questions

Both offices are open 7:00am to 4:45pm. Call our Appleton or Neenah office at 920-734-9600. For billing questions, call 920-358-1130. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.

You do need a referral to see a pulmonologist. You do not need a referral to see a sleep medicine provider.  Because every insurance plan is different, it is always best to check with your health plan first to confirm whether a referral is required for your coverage.

Fox Valley Pulmonary Medicine is accepted by most insurance carriers, with rare exceptions. Please contact your insurance company or call our office to confirm your coverage before your visit.

We are affiliated with ThedaCare but remain an independent practice. Our sleep testing clinic and laboratory is a combined partnership with ThedaCare.

Yes. All of our physicians and providers are board certified. Our physicians hold board certifications that include pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, sleep medicine, internal medicine and interventional pulmonology, and our nurse practitioners are nationally certified.

For over 35 years, Fox Valley Pulmonary Medicine has provided pulmonary and sleep medicine care to Appleton, Neenah and the surrounding Fox Valley communities.

The first step is often a chest X-ray or CT scan. Breathing tests that measure lung function and capacity can be done right in our office. Most conditions do not require a biopsy, but when one is needed, we always choose the least invasive approach.

We evaluate and treat many sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs, sleep walking and REM behavior disorder. Common signs include excessive daytime sleepiness, trouble falling or staying asleep, snoring, and unusual movements during sleep.

Ask yourself two questions: Does my sleep feel refreshing? Does my bed partner think there is a problem with my sleep? Many sleep disorders cause few obvious symptoms, so a partner’s observations can be important. If either answer concerns you, call us to schedule an evaluation.

Not everyone needs a sleep study. If you do, your provider will decide whether an in-lab study or a home sleep test is appropriate for you. Preauthorization with your insurance is completed before any testing. Our sleep laboratory, a partnership with ThedaCare, is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Robotic bronchoscopy uses a thin, flexible, robotically guided catheter that is passed through the mouth and into the airways of the lung. Our physicians use the Ion robotic-assisted system, which works much like a GPS, to steer precisely to small nodules deep in the lung and take a biopsy, with no incision.

Robotic bronchoscopy can reach small nodules in the outer parts of the lung that are hard to reach with a standard bronchoscope. Because the biopsy is taken from inside the airways rather than with a needle through the chest wall, the risk of a collapsed lung is much lower. Precise sampling helps our physicians reach a diagnosis sooner, so treatment can begin sooner.

Our robotic bronchoscopy program is led by Scott C. Parrish, MD, Interventional Pulmonologist and Program Medical Director. Dr. Parrish is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine and interventional pulmonary medicine.

Robotic bronchoscopy is performed in the hospital under general anesthesia. Your physician guides the catheter through your mouth and airways to the nodule using a map of your airways created from your CT scan, then takes tissue samples for testing. Our team will give you specific instructions on how to prepare and what to expect afterward.

You may qualify for lung cancer screening if you are 50 to 80 years old, have a cigarette smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (for example, one pack a day for 20 years), currently smoke or quit within the last 15 years, and have no signs or symptoms of lung cancer. Cigar, pipe and other non-cigarette smoking does not qualify.

A lung nodule found on a CT scan or chest X-ray does not always mean cancer, but it should be evaluated by a specialist. Our pulmonologists review your imaging and history and recommend the right next step, which may be follow-up imaging or, when needed, a minimally invasive biopsy such as robotic bronchoscopy.

Yes. Several of our physicians are board certified in critical care medicine, and intensive care medicine is one of our core services, alongside pulmonary medicine, sleep disorders and interventional pulmonology.

You can pay your bill online and enroll in paperless billing using our fast, secure online tool on the Pay Online page. For billing questions, call 920-358-1130.