Pulmonologist - Sheffield, AL

"I had been looking for a primary care physician when I was directed to Dr. Ridgeway because of the rare lung disease I have. While he will not be my primary care provider, he can & will be an extraordinary pulmonary care doctor for me. In this small urban area to which I've moved, I was certainly not expecting a lung specialist of the same caliber as the university-based pulmonologist I was seeing where I'd been living. I found Dr. Ridgeway to be knowledgeable of the lung disease I have, and the current research into its causes & potential treatment. We discussed this research more as equals than as authoritarian doctor to dimwitted patient. His interpretation of this research and its implications for me as a patient with the chronic form of this disease was very encouraging & comforting. He does not treat his patients with this disease with one of the drugs I am taking (as an experiment by my previous specialist), but is knowledgeable of its use from prescribing it for other patients in his practice as an internist. Dr. Ridgeway was interested in, even enthusiastic, about continuing my treatment with this drug, following through with the treatment plans of my previous lung specialist. He said he would be calling my previous specialist to discuss that treatment plan with him , and would consult others, as needed, at the universities where he went to medical school & did his pulmonary residency ( both within ~4 hours drive from here, in opposite directions ). He said he would rather work with me & my current treatment than merely refer me to someone at either of these universities. I found Dr. Ridgeway to be intelligent, very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and energetic. He is courteous & soft-spoken, with a charming manner, the hallmarks of the true Southern gentleman. He was willing to laugh at himself - when he dropped his glasses from his shirt pocket, he chuckled a bit and said he buys his glasses cheaply on the Internet since he loses or breaks them so often. While it took a rather long time - ~45 minutes after my schedule appointment time before I saw Dr. Ridgeway, I was called back to speak with others on his staff to be registered as a new patient within 10-15 of my arrival & completion of the new patient forms. This all took up most of the time before I saw Dr. Ridgeway. I suspect that this was not an unusual amount of time before seeing Dr. Ridgeway from my appointment time. I believe, though, that Dr. Ridgeway takes as much time with each patient as they need, and will do the same with me. I did not feel at all hurried by anyone, and was treated with nothing by courtesy. I would definitely recommend Dr. Ridgeway to others."