Dr. Michael Rondal Hines, MD

Since high school I have always wanted to do something important with my life. Being naturally drawn to the sciences, I initially went into medical research. This did not satisfy me, however, and I started to look for some other way that involved science to help people. My first day of volunteering in an emergency room answered my question. I knew that I had found my calling, and started down the long road to becoming a physician. I think that was probably the best choice I made in my life and have never regretted a single day since then.

Once I was in medical school, I was overwhelmed by the many types of specialization there are for physicians. Luckily, after working in most of the fields during medical school I eventually found my niche. Interventional radiology involves surgery and imaging, allowing me to work with my hands and use the latest technology to see inside the human body. As an interventional radiologist, I may fix what is broken or take samples of abnormal areas, deep …inside the body, without having to perform major surgery. Most of the time my patients can go home the same day instead of being hospitalized for a week or so as they might have been using the techniques of the past.

Kaiser Permanente is a great organization that allows physicians like myself to concentrate on the work of healing. We are not distracted by all the paperwork and non-physician oversight commonly found in private practice environments. We have an integrated system in which everybody is there to help the patient.

My philosophy on healing is: Healing is a cooperative process between the health care provider and the patient. The more the patients understand about their diseases and are involved in their own care, the better the results of any procedure or treatment I can provide. I also think that being active is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your health, and I encourage all my patients to become more active.

My personal interests involve world travel, mountaineering (i.e., climbing Mt. Shasta), hiking, cycling, photography, skiing, and sailing. I am basically an outdoors person who lives in an area with lots of open space, and I spend almost all my free time outdoors. Also, I graduated from Cal Berkeley and I am a strong alumnus, attending all the basketball and football games I can with my buddies from college. "GO BEARS!"