Frequently Asked Questions

I am a full-time clinical anesthesiologist in Chico, California. As the county hospital for Butte County, I see a broad variety of patients from my community and from the surrounding area as they present. I see for everything from scheduled routine procedures to very complex emergencies.

I completed a fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic anesthesia from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time one of the busiest such fellowships in the United States. While there I was able to train with some of the most prominent intra-operative echocardiographers in the country. At the end of that training, and after further testing, I was made a diplomat of the American Society of Echocardiography.

Being involved with the patient population that presents for the level of care that these procedures involve means doing a larger number of invasive vascular access procedures. It further means that the techniques necessary to provide that care are studied and practiced much more frequently than they might be in a patient population with less morbidity.

TEE is a monitor that uses sound-waves to image the beating heart and assess the function of the muscle, the chambers, and the valves. I use it during every cardiovascular case in which I’m involved as a routine monitor. Occasionally, however, I’m called upon to use it while taking care of patients who are having non-cardiac surgery and there are times when I am asked to consult on non-surgical patients for whom a diagnosis is being sought.

While not formally part of a residency training program, I am still involved with teaching students airway management techniques. I am involved with the information technologies department as we implement and upgrade our electronic medical records. I have served as a clinical officer in our group where I worked to improve our department’s ability to interface with other departments and to maximize the efficiency of our operating rooms.

Locum Tenens refers to a temporary work assignment of physicians – such as vacation coverage, maternity leave, or a variety of other reasons. Having worked in multiple facilities, with multiple surgeons, and with many different patient populations, I have come to appreciate both the similarities and the subtleties of anesthesia practice.

I have active licenses in Texas, Georgia, Missouri, and California. In the past I have also worked in Pennsylvania and Tennessee as a Locum’s provider.

As part of my training, I have provided anesthesia care for both organ donors and for their recipients. I continue to be actively involved with this process in northern California where I provide compassionate care to those patients who chose to make that gift.

On a daily basis my practice sees a variety of general, ENT, OB-GYN, neurosurgical, orthopedic, colo-rectal, vascular, urologic, thoracic, and cardiac surgical cases. While I am on call, I routinely see any of the above along with acute trauma cases.

I see a variety of patients in my practice. Although as the population continues to advance in age and in the number of co-morbid conditions, I see an increasing number of less healthy patients. For a variety of reasons, I see more patients with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and degenerative diseases of the spine and joints. These patients often require multiple techniques to be employed in order to minimize possible complications and to maximize patient satisfaction.

I’m available to work on cases involving an anesthesiologist. The issues I may be called upon to address include the standard of care, breach, and causation.

Yes. I’m available to serve as an anesthesiology expert witness for both plaintiff and defense.

After I am provided with the required records for the case. I usually strive to have my initial review completed in less than two weeks.

I have completed training courses specialized in the field of anesthesiology from SEAK, Inc., The Expert Witness Training Company.

Fill out my form, send me an email (info@robertertnermd.com) or call me on my cell at 408.840.4406. I strive to return all inquiries within 24 hours or sooner depending on my call and surgical schedule.