Biography
Adam Heinemann, D.O., specializes in emergency medicine, wound treatment and hyperbaric medicine. He is the medical director for the Center for Wound Treatment and Hyperbaric Medicine at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena and sees patients both in the Wound Treatment Center and the Emergency Department.
Philosophy of Care
His multi-specialty background helps Dr. Heinemann to make both an immediate and long-term difference for his patients.
“Medicine has always been a source of awe and humility,” he said. “By practicing emergency medicine, I find joy in saving patients from imminent danger and death. However, the emergency setting doesn’t provide many opportunities to follow a patient through their entire healing process.”
“I began my journey into wound care in 2009, when I was fortunate to shadow Dr. Kevin Florek, the director of the wound care clinic at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester, Michigan. He was treating my grandmother during her bout with colon cancer and treating an exceedingly difficult wound. I watched my grandmother become more ill by the day as she was battling the cancer and the chemo. He was able to give her a life again once he got to work on the wound, and we were able to get our once tough and gritty Northern Michigan grandmother back.”
“This gave me a glimpse of the life-changing treatments that are available. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a fascinating discovery, despite its common use today. The physiologic changes that occur when the human body is pressurized are extraordinary and extremely elegant.”
Dr. Heinemann finds that a trusting relationship and strong two-way communication are key to helping patients achieve good outcomes.
“Patient care starts with basic human connection. To discover and provide the best possible care, I must know as much about the patient as possible, and that begins with trust. I trust my patients to provide the background of their condition, and in return I hope that they will trust me to provide the knowledge, expertise and guidance that will help their body begin to heal.”
“I will be honest regarding the lengths they need to go to and set up proper expectations. I will listen to them openly and hear what they have to say. I am an advocate for my patients, and when I feel they are not getting the necessary treatments, I will fight to get them done.”
The ability to change lives for the better is what drives Dr. Heinemann.
“Medicine is my second career. It was always my calling, but it took me a few years in the financial industry to realize that I was not helping people change their lives. I find joy in helping others and being a physician allows me to do so daily.”
Dr. Heinemann and his wife Julianne have three school-aged children, Elliot, Amelia and Barrett.
“Since moving to the Alpena area, I’ve developed quite a few outdoor hobbies including horseback riding, rearing chickens, ducks and rabbits, deer and waterfowl hunting, fishing, kayaking. If it’s outdoors count me in.”
