William Ashe, MD Featured in Medical Professionals Charlotte

The below article has been copied from the February publication of Medical Professionals Charlotte Magazine where Dr. Ashe and our Belmont office was featured in a "New Office Spotlight". Medical Professionals Charlotte is a peer-to-peer magazine for Charlotte area physicians and others in the healthcare industry. 

Tell us a little about yourself and your experience in providing care to the greater Charlotte area. 

I am a board-certified pediatric pulmonologist who has been in practice with Asthma & Allergy Specialists in Charlotte for over 30 years. For 25 years, I was co-director of the Western N.C. Cystic Fibrosis Center, serviced pulmonary inpatient care at both Atrium and Novant main hospital systems, in addition to building and managing a robust outpatient clinic at Asthma & Allergy Specialists. Through my years of practice, I have developed a warm working relationship with area providers, including the training of numerous pediatric residents who have since started and grown their practices both in Charlotte and the surrounding areas.

What makes Asthma & Allergy Specialists unique in our community? 

At Asthma & Allergy Specialists, we have a warm, family-oriented approach to patientcare, combining our extensive clinical expertise in pulmonary and allergy with close, ongoing patient interaction to ensure a maximum positive clinical outcome. Although affiliated with both major hospital systems in Charlotte, we are independent and not hospital based. Our availability and accessibility allow for walk-in, same day visits with the convenience of rapid diagnostic evaluation and development of specific treatment plans to ensure the very best positive benefit to the patient.

What are you most excited about for this new Belmont office? 

When I first arrived in Charlotte, I discovered a passion for treating patients with special needs, many of whom have complex medical conditions, including pulmonary and allergy issues. I initially began to treat patients from The Holy Angels Resident Center in Belmont, and soon discovered how far these patients had to be transported to our offices in Charlotte. It didn’t take long to realize it would be a lot easier on their staff to hold clinics at their center, and I have been doing so as pulmonary director every 4-6 months for 30 years now. Over the course of time, I discovered I had numerous relationships with the area’s providers (many I trained as residents) who now practice in the Gastonia, Kings Mountain, and Shelby regions. I am very excited and look forward to bringing comprehensive, family-oriented pulmonary and allergy care to this region, which has been underserved for some time.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Over the many years of training and practicing pediatric pulmonary and allergy, I get the most satisfaction from sharing my clinical expertise to alleviate a patient’s pain and discomfort from the symptoms they are experiencing. I feel there is no greater reward for me than applying the knowledge and skills I have acquired to help patients achievea symptom-free lifestyle that they so deserve. Our practice thrives on providing consistent, family–oriented continuity of care, and it has been a true pleasure to see patients I started to treat as babies now bringing their own children to me for the same care!

How have you seen healthcare change over the years? 

Healthcare has certainly changed dramatically over the time I have been in practice. There are so many new and innovative therapies that we physicians must be constantly educating ourselves to keep up! To efficiently adapt to the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, it is critical to maximize the time spent in physician–patient interactions. Unfortunately, meticulous documentation, ongoing insurance negotiations, and adherence to the many guidelines and regulations involving healthcare have seriously impacted the time for meaningful and thoughtful patient face-to-face interactions. At Asthma& Allergy Specialists, we are truly blessed with a highly competent, efficient, and caring team that reduces these burdens, allowing caregivers optimal time to build and maintain patient relationships in order to achieve the best clinical outcomes.

What is your goal for your patients and the practice? 

At Asthma & Allergy Specialists, our primary goal is the patient’s well-being. I feel it is essential to spend as much time as possible in patient interactions, understanding, and addressing their concerns. It is only through this that an effective treatment plan can be developed and maintained with regular follow-ups to adjust care as necessary. I feel our practice has achieved an excellent reputation for successfully treating a variety of respiratory and allergy conditions through a warm, friendly, close family family-oriented approach.

What would you like to communicate to primary care and referring physicians? 

I would tell the primary care and referring physicians, “We are here for you.” Let us apply our knowledge and experience to assist you in dealing with difficult and challenging situations involving pulmonary and allergy. I see us functioning together as a team to help your patients achieve a symptom-free lifestyle. We accept virtually all forms of insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare, and prioritize accessibility with same-day appointments as well as walk-in patients during Walk-In Clinic hours. We look forward to communicating with you to achieve the very best clinical outcomes for your patients. 

What do you enjoy outside of work? 

My wife of 40 years and I are blessed with three grown children, and we greatly enjoy any opportunity to get together as a family. I am an avid reader and look forward to diving into both fiction and non-fiction any chance I get. On a more active front, I enjoy a good (or at times bad) round of golf and especially look forward to sports fishing trips off the Outer Banks. You never know what might be on the end of the line!