We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Byron Patterson, M.D. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Byron, how does your business help the community?

Primary Care Sports Medicine, AMC was founded with a unique approach in the way that we engage with the community which helped fill a much needed void in the healthcare landscape. For me, seeing that vision realized each day is truly a blessing. Living in the entertainment and sports capital of the world, I understand how valuable sports are as a prideful cornerstone of our culture. Our leisure time is often spent in pursuit of our personal buzzer-beating championship moments to escape the day-to-day hustle of our nine-to-fives. Sometimes, we go beyond our physical limits to the point of injury. As an athlete-doctor, this is where my philosophy of ensuring the most accurate diagnosis coupled with the most precise, least painful treatment (with as little recovery time as possible) contributes most to the overall wellness of my community. Understanding the impact of injury on life as a whole, my goal is to get you confidently back to your personal championship moments as soon as possible. This philosophy, together with the collective personalities and warm bedside manner of every doctor and physician’s assistant at PCSM, means that you as the patient will feel welcomed as a member of our family. This approach is how we became the largest non-surgical sports medicine clinic in southern California, and we are so grateful! 

At PCSM, we help steer patient care to the most highly skilled surgeons when needed, but maximize conservative care the majority of the time. My doctors and I invest the time and care in treatments that minimize both pain and recovery time, producing outcomes rooted in objective and credible evidence-based medicine. For example, we perform every in-office procedure under ultrasound to raise patient comfort as well as our own accuracy. This is just one example of how we always go the extra mile when it comes to patient care. The proof is in the pudding, with less than 5% of PCSM patients requiring surgery. And when our patients do end up needing surgery, PCSM handles all pre and post-op care and recovery, allowing our Providence/Cedars Sinai/Independent surgeons better use their time in the operating room, where they are most comfortable and valuable. Lastly, PCSM also improves community health outcomes through extensive research efforts via our injury database, which allows us to analyze the effectiveness of various treatment courses on healing, and ultimately produce reductions in recovery time and costs for patients and insurance providers. Moving into the future, we are looking to create a generalized injury “wiki” around this data, empowering everyone with an internet connection to tap into credible, research-based knowledge in this area. 

We also have a dream team of strategic partners. With their help, PCSM is leading community outreach initiatives that further extend our philosophies and reach beyond our current locations in Tarzana and Agoura Hills. PCSM works with several local schools and athletic organizations such as the US Men’s National Soccer Team, The Los Angeles Football Club, and The US Track & Field Team, providing training and sports medicine services of the highest quality. Additionally, we act as a point of connection between many larger clinics in the Los Angeles Area, such as Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and Children’s Orthopedic Center. We are also very excited to announce that we are working with Dr. Güez Salinas and Iliana Arbeed of Los Angeles based nonprofit The LEWIS Registry–an organization working to increase accountability in law enforcement and improve the ways in which police interact with the community–as the title sponsor for a talk series they are rolling out to bring awareness and action to these issues. We are also working with Dr. Salinas and Ms. Arbeed on realizing our long-time dream of sponsoring an after-school lighthouse program to provide a wide array of resources to students in underserved communities.

What should our readers know about your business?
Becoming the largest non-surgical sports medicine clinic in Southern California was not easy, but we have certainly been blessed with a great support system and partners who believed in our vision from day one. Children’s Orthopedic Center and Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in particular leaned in early on working with us, and they have truly been fantastic partners. Another key aspect of overcoming our challenges to get where we are today has been recognizing what we don’t know. Bringing in business experts who understand how to read the market and scale a business has been a crucial aspect of our tremendous growth as well, and we will certainly continue to seek out that business expertise as we grow even more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being so ingratiated in the athletic community, I love to bring friends and family along when I support the various athletic organizations and teams we work with at PCSM. Going to an LAFC game is a guaranteed great time! I always recommend engaging with the incredible art community in Los Angeles as well. The Know Contemporary is my favorite gallery, where world-renowned artist Knowledge Bennett showcases his work while also sharing the space with some amazing up-and-coming artists. There is so much great food to eat in Los Angeles as well, but I always enjoy a nice coffee or tea lounge where you can meet up with friends or colleagues. Café Sheera was recently recommended by a friend, which is a beautiful coffee/tea bar and sweet shop in Beverly Hills.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would definitely like to dedicate this shoutout to my parents, especially my father. He was a very spiritual man, and his favorite bible passage stated, “faith without works is dead.” This always stuck with me as a reminder that what I believed required me to roll up my sleeves and put in the work. PCSM is built on equal parts faith and hard work.

The spiritual lessons taught to me by my dad also led to my interest in a recent book, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” which is all about leading a life based in passion, purpose, and peace. While it can be very easy to get caught up in the small details and stressors of our day to day lives, I believe in the importance of always maintaining perspective on the things that truly matter to us, which for me is my family, being an honorable leader in my community, and helping others.

Website: www.PrimaryCareSportsMedicine.com

Instagram: @primarycaresportsmedicine

Yelp: primary care sports medicine

Image Credits
USMNT

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