The poet Ovid claimed ‘Time is generally the best doctor.’ That may be true for broken hearts, bumps, and bruises but when injuries are more severe, a skilled physician is called for. At Longview’s Pacific Surgical Center, Dr. Peter Kung is the man to call for any and all orthopedic, knee, shoulder, and sports-related treatment.
Knees and shoulders often bear the brunt of sports injuries. Whether you’re a regular athlete or weekend warrior, don’t ignore these vital areas. While some aches and pains can be treated with RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), others should be diagnosed and repaired by a trained sports injury specialist.
Dr. Kung started in the orthopedics field as an undergraduate. Initially focused on biochemical engineering, he missed the daily doctor/patient interaction so, as a true people person, transferred into surgical practice to work with patients directly.
He was board-certified as an orthopedist in 2011 but began working with professional athletes even earlier in Los Angeles in 2008. While there, he treated players from the LA Lakers, LA Dodgers, LA Kings, Anaheim Angels, Anaheim Ducks and LA Sparks, and USC football teams.
Drawn to the Pacific Northwest specifically to work with Pacific Surgical Center, Kung started with them in 2009. He’s found that it offers maximized efficiency while being small enough that every physician has a say. There’s less bureaucracy and doctors have more influence than they do at bigger facilities. This allows for increased involvement in patient care, which is always the top priority. Working at PSC is a joy “because we have the same goals of helping people and being the solution to better health.”
Says Dr. Kung, “Every day is different, every patient is different. It’s always challenging and fun to know that you’re helping somebody. The office is great—you can see your work and you see how you’ve affected their life and improved quality of living.”
At Pacific Surgical Center, Dr. Kung focuses on knee and shoulder arthroscopy. These techniques use scopes and cameras to diagnose the injury, minimizing invasive surgical procedures. With fewer incisions, patients suffer less pain and often require shorter rehabilitation and recovery times.
For one patient, this approach was a life-saver. After suffering several failed shoulder surgeries without benefit, he was at an impasse. Dr. Kung’s cutting-edge research lead him to try a newly developed procedure which worked wonders. The patient was soon able to sleep through the night and function entirely without pain medication. He says Dr. Kung saved his life and his marriage.
Over the years, Kung has also addressed arthritis, rotator cuff repairs, shoulder instability, knee ligament reconstruction, elbow procedures, and shoulder, knee and hip replacement. He belongs to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Washington State Orthopaedic Association, and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.
Beyond more personalized care, Kung admires Pacific Surgical Center’s dedication to transparency pricing. By offering clear, up-front costs, patients know what to expect from day one. Says Kung, “Transparency pricing is a really great thing because with medicine there is a huge discrepancy in pricing. Somebody might have the same service at a hospital or another facility but there’s a night and day difference in terms of the bill they get depending on where treatment is done. This has nothing to do with the actual quality of care, it’s the same procedure in both places.”
He encourages families to shop around for care whether they have insurance or not. “Not all facilities cost an arm and a leg, shopping around really does matter and can save patients thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.”
Overall, he wishes all treatment was addressed this way. If there were “a more level playing field,” families could rest easy knowing costs were the same nation-wide. “If you need a specific surgery, it should cost the same no matter where you go. I’m very proud to work at PSC where people can get a fair price, often the best price, on great surgical care with minimally invasive treatments.”
Fully adapted to the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Kung enjoys fishing, clamming, gardening, outdoor activities, and sports with his wife and two sons, aged 5 and 7. The family home in Ridgefield WA even boasts happy chickens and a small vegetable garden.
If you’ve been suffering from musculoskeletal injuries of bone, muscle, joint, cartilage, or ligament, request Dr. Kung’s assistance online or by calling 360-442-7900. He and colleagues form a skilled team of doctors at Pacific Surgical Center that are happy to help get you successfully back on your feet.
