About Me

Hi, my name is Andy James. Welcome to my Web page. I'm happy to have this chance to introduce myself to you and tell you about my work as a physician at Kaiser Permanente.

Biography

I was raised in North Dakota and completed my medical training throughout the Midwest (Missouri, Arizona, and Ohio). I met my wife in school and we chose to settle in Southern California to be near family. I am happy to be part of Kaiser Permanente, which, I believe, is truly on the leading edge of not just healthcare, but caring for health. I get asked often what the difference is between a medical doctor and a doctor of osteopathy. There are two different accrediting bodies when it comes to medical schools, allopathic (M.D.) and osteopathic (D.O.). The differences now are largely historic and can be an interesting Internet search, but now all doctors’ complete residencies and are board certified by the same governing bodies . Some consider osteopathic doctors to be more "holistic" and while that may have been true, modern medicine is about treating an individual using evidence-based medicine regardless of which degree you started with.

About my practice

Pediatrics can be challenging as there are usually two different interests in the room: the members who just want to know what is happening to them (usually if they are getting shots!), the parents who want to make sure they are doing everything they can to improve or maintain their children’s health. I view my role as that of an educator. This is becoming increasingly important in an age when there is so much information out there that parents are not sure who or what to believe. I bring my experience and knowledge to families to help them make appropriate choices for their future.

How I thrive

With the plentiful good weather Southern California offers, I enjoy walks with my family. I also like to golf as often as possible and can even be caught at the local driving range at lunchtime.