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Stephen D Feren, MD
I speak: English
My gender: Male
Where I practice
- Emergency service
- Urgent care services
- After-hours services
- Pharmacy services
- No emergency services
- No urgent care services
- No after-hours services
- No pharmacy services
About me
Although Georgia is my home, and I have lived here most of my life, I grew up on a sheep ranch in Western Oregon. Actually, that was where I decided to be a doctor. Sheep are good at managing their own affairs, some people are surprised to learn, and actually require very little shepherding. So, as a child tasked with watching the sheep, I spent years being incredibly bored, wandering mostly empty fields with only my thoughts. I would guess that current day shepherds are constantly on YouTube! But back then, as the hours slowly passed, I could only think so much about thistles or the wind. I decided then that instead of a shepherd, I wanted to be a doctor. And every day I feel good about this decision - I get to meet neat, new people who actually need help with their lives.
About my practice
Chances are high you have not yet met a sleep doctor, anywhere. There are not many of us. And you are probably thinking, "What exactly is a sleep doc?" We come from different beginnings, pulmonology or psychiatry for example. I am a neurologist and I trained at the Medical College of Georgia. The first time I went into the hospital there, the first doctor I happened to meet was a sleep medicine specialist, who was also a pediatrician. I did not know what he did, as a doctor, and I learned then about diseases like insomnia, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. They are common problems, and he helped people deal with them. I thought that was great, because I liked to sleep (and I was not getting much of it in medical school). But what I had not realized was that poor sleep is a tremendous source of stress. In so many ways, poor sleep affects our health and the quality of our lives. Each night while we sleep, parts of our brain actually speed up. Our brains are very active through the night, and this complicated process of recovery is essential. So sleep disorders are conditions where we cannot get that critical sleep, or our sleep just does not work right. And after nights like that, each day can be a burden and a struggle.
How I thrive
Honestly, I thrive on chocolate and exercise, in roughly equal proportion. I like to work hard. It is probably a habit I picked up from the ranch, and I find a tremendous amount of satisfaction in my work; but what we do at Kaiser Permanente is particularly important to me. When I have a few days off, I love to hike. When all I have is a few minutes to relax, my favorite thing to do is sit quietly and watch the wind push through the trees.
Medical groups and plans
The Southeast Permanente Medical Group
- HMO or EPO
- Individual and Family Plans - Added Choice
- Senior Advantage
- Signature HMO
Contact information
- Health Line
- 1-800-255-0056 (toll-free TTY for the hearing/speech impaired)
- Health Line
- 1-800-611-1811 (toll free)
- Health Line locally
- 404-365-0966
My training, certifications and licensing
Medical school
Medical College of GeorgiaBoard certification
Neurology
American Board Psychiatry & NeurologySleep Medicine
American Board Psychiatry & NeurologyTo verify board certification for an individual practitioner, please visit the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Medical Association, or the American Osteopathic Association websites.
Medical training
Internship
University of Virginia RoanokeResidency
Washington University School of MedicineJoined Permanente Medical Group
This information is not available at this time.My hospitals
This information is not available at this time.
To find:
- a Kaiser Permanente provider’s office hours, search our facility directory
- Kaiser Permanente providers accepting new patients, call 1-404-365-0966, 1-800-611-1811 (toll free), or 711 (TTY for the hearing/speech impaired)
- affiliated providers’ office hours or whether they are accepting new patients, call their offices directly
The information in this online directory is updated periodically. The availability of physicians, hospitals, providers, and services may change. Before receiving care at a facility, select that location in our directory and verify the accepted plan types under "About this facility" to make sure it is available in your plan. If no plan types are listed, the facility is available for all plan types.
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Kaiser Permanente uses the same quality, member experience, or cost-related measures to select providers and facilities in Marketplace Silver-tier plans as it does for all other Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (KFHP) products and lines of business. The measures may include, but are not limited to, HEDIS/CAHPS performance, member/patient complaints, patient safety scores, hospital quality measures, and geographic need. Members enrolled in KFHP Marketplace plans have access to all professional, institutional and ancillary health care providers who participate in KFHP plans' contracted provider network, in accordance with the terms of the members' KFHP plan of coverage. All Kaiser Permanente Medical Group physicians and network physicians are subject to the same quality review processes and certifications.
Kaiser Permanente uses the same geographic distribution consideration to select hospitals in Marketplace plans as it does for all other Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (KFHP) products and lines of business.
Information about a provider is provided to us by the provider or the provider's network, or is obtained as part of the credentialing process. Board certification may not reflect contracted services available from providers listed in our directory. If you have questions regarding this or about any of our providers, call us at 1-800-611-1811 (toll free). For the hearing and speech impaired: 1-888-865-5813 or 711 (TTY). You can also call the Georgia Composite Medical Board at 404-656-3913, or visit their website.
This page was last updated on: 12/10/2024