He Gives His Personal Cell Number To All His Patients

Sherman Neurosurgeon, Dr. John Pulliam, gives his personal cell number to all of his patients, but he says he rarely gets after-hours calls. He attributes the lack of after-hours questions or concerns to the amount of time he is able to spend directly with patients during their office visits.

Taking the time to problem-solve complex multiple conditions with a patient is the hallmark of Dr. Pulliam’s care. He says it’s not uncommon for him to spend an hour and a half with a patient during their appointments.

He originally came to Sherman in 1991, after completing his residency. Since Lake Texoma was part of his life growing up, and his father worked at Texas Instruments in Sherman, Dr. Pulliam was already familiar with the Texoma area. He says Sherman is close enough to Dallas to enjoy the benefits of a big city, but without all the traffic.

After opening his office in Sherman, he was the only neurosurgeon in the area until about three years later, when he added a partner. Things have changed over time with Dr. Pulliam. He ended up growing his practice, with a total of six doctors. Eventually leaving Sherman to work for a large hospital for a few years, he returned in 2014 with a solo practice.

Dr. Pulliam and his wife have raised three children, who are now grown and starting the journey of their own futures. Family is important to him. In fact, one thing that he learned throughout the years is that his priority is spending time with patients and treating them like they are part of his own family.

He makes sure he takes time to get to know all of his patients. In addition to his personal cell number, everyone gets ample amount of time to spend with him discussing the complexity of their conditions.

The rarity of after-hours calls is the result of the quality time he spends with each patient. Everyone gets custom care, and according to Dr. Pulliam, “After thirty years of doing this, it’s not a cattle auction”. Since his staff have been with him for numerous years in their laid-back office atmosphere, patients always get a personalized experience from the moment they first call the office.

He says it’s rare to find a perfect MRI that doesn’t show any problems, even with someone who doesn’t have obvious problems. He spends so much time with each patient because “It’s usually not just one single issue causing a problem; there are typically two or three things going on with a patient that needs to be sorted out.”

While the word “surgeon” in his title can be intimidating, Dr. Pulliam said that the majority of his patients don’t actually need surgery to achieve an effective outcome. Injections, bracing and other options for treatment can be effective with alleviating problems.

When surgery actually is needed, he performs it at Baylor Scott & White, conveniently located in Sherman. Areli is happy to help provide innovative solutions to Dr. Pulliam’s patients with bracing options.

We love Dr. Pulliam his goals in patient care is the same as we have here at Areli Medical Devices, LLC. Our patients are repeat patients year after year due to our family atmosphere and achievement on patient care.

Thank you Dr. Pulliam for your support and look forward to many more years of serving you and your patients.