Featured Business
Sunset Medical Practice Group, PC
By Dawn Anderson

This medical practice group, right in the heart of Cedar Mill, is a rarity in the Portland area today – a medium-sized multi-specialty practice that is not affiliated with a large medical group, such as the Providence or Legacy Systems.

“We believe our practice model allows us to provide more personalized service, timely response, convenient availability of appointments and consistent staff,” said Robert Barlow, MD, one of the three founding partners of the Sunset Medical Practice Group.

Dr. Robert Barlow

“The practice was formed in 1992 when I joined Dr. Gary Geddes and Dr. Vic Krisciunas at the office location on Cornell near Saltzman. The three of us were part of the same call group, providing after-hours patient care,” he explained. Prior to merging with Dr. Barlow, Dr. Geddes and Dr. Krisciunas practiced emergency medicine at the Physicians and Surgeons Hospital in Portland and then established their family practice office in Beaverton.

In the beginning the practice rented space from Legacy who owned the building. Legacy put the building up for sale in 1994 and the three partners purchased the building along with an outside investor and Kathleen Waldorf, MD. Dr. Waldorf has an office in the building that is independent of the Sunset Medical Practice Group.

All three of the founding physicians are Family Practice providers. The practice also has two additional Family Practice physicians – Heena Doshi, MD and Harold (Hal) Barry, MD. “We added Internal Medicine physician Brian Cox, MD in 2003, and Dale Margaret Carter, MD in 2006, a Neurologist specializing in head and neck pain management, in order to provide better service,” explained Dr. Barlow. “In addition, Kim Felder, Certified Physicians Assistant, specializes in women’s health and diabetes management.” Dr. Barlow then mentioned, “We hope to add another Family Practice provider within the next year.” Thirty-seven staff members support the providers in providing care to the Cedar Mill community.

Many patients began seeing one of the three founding physicians as children and now their children come to the Sunset Medical Practice Group. From well-child care to complex medical conditions, the practice uses modern technology to make sure that every patient is treated correctly.

Two years ago the practice started using electronic medical records which are also available for hospital care and on-call situations. “As a result of switching to electronic medical records we were able to receive a grant from Providence Health Systems,” Dr. Barlow said. “The grant allowed us to obtain software to use in our electronic medical records to track chronic disease management.”

Receptionist Martina Dunbar welcomes patients to the clinic

The Sunset Medical Practice Group’s mission is to: “Deliver cost effective, quality and compassionate medical care.” A large part of the practice’s mission is focused on Chronic Disease Management. Dr. Barlow explains, “Our goal is to have the chronic disease well controlled with the patient knowing how to manage their disease. We try to save them time and money and help them have a better quality of life.”

The practice recently implemented a new service: “LabCalls,” which allows patients to conveniently access their test results by calling a toll-free number or logging on to the web. “Our patients love this new service!” exclaimed Bren Anderson, assistant to the Practice Manager. She added, “Patients will also soon be able to email their providers with their medical questions.”

I asked Dr. Barlow what is the biggest challenge that the Sunset Medical Practice Group is currently dealing with? He replied: “Administering the practice given continuing changes in the insurance industry and the cost of medicine. We try to help our patients deal with these concerns.” The practice accepts most insurance coverage.

Dr. Barlow earned his medical degree from the University of New Mexico, School of Medicine in Albuquerque. He has lived in the area since 1990. Dr. Barlow and his wife have four children and enjoy family activities, tennis and hiking. His children attend area schools – Sunset, Terra Linda and Cedar Park. “I like the library, schools, it’s a nice neighborhood.” He smiled and continued: “I enjoy running into patients at the supermarket, at games. It makes me feel great to be part of the community; it’s a nice place to live, although it has grown in recent years.”

The Sunset Medical Practice Group joined the Cedar Mill Business Association two years ago. They see the business association’s role as helping them to be a part of the community and helping to keep them informed on community issues.

All the providers are now accepting new patients. The Sunset Medical Practice Group is located at 12400 NW Cornell Road, in the Cornell Medical Commons, next to U.S. Bank, east of Saltzman. Telephone 503-626-0939. Open Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Visit their website at sunsetmedicalpractice.com.

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