General Practitioners

• Medical Weight Loss
  Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure used to see inside the sigmoid colon and rectum. Flexible sigmoidoscopy can detect inflamed tissue, abnormal growths, and ulcers. The procedure is used to look for early signs of cancer and can help doctors diagnose unexplained changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, bleeding from the anus, and weight loss.
• Primary Care
  Sari is a Certified Nurse Practitioner working with Santa Maria Gastroenterology over the last 2 years. She completed he Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota and earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. She obtained her certification as a Nurse Practitioner from Western University of Health Care Sciences in Pomona, California. She has also worked as a nurse practitioner in the areas of Primary Care, Women’s Health, Urgent Care and Cardiology. She hold a national certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
• Family Practice
  Laura is an Advanced Practice Nurse who trained at Walden University. She graduated in 2017 Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s Degree in nursing as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care. This rigorous program included two years of classroom study and one year in supervised clinical rotations in addition to two years of classroom and clinical rotations to obtain a degree as a registered nurse. For her Master’s degree, she trained under the supervision of Dr. Siri Khalsa and Dr. Alina Dalmendray as part of the hospitalist team at Marian Regional Medical Center and with Dr. Donald Hole at the outpatient Family Medicine office.  She is certified by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and is a member of California Association for Nurse Practitioners. She is licensed through the California Board of Registered Nursing.
• Emergency Care
• Colonoscopy
  Colonoscopy involves the use of a colonoscope – a long, thin, flexible instrument connected to a camera and video display monitor. The doctor inserts this into the rectum and moves it slowly through the entire colon looking for any abnormal tissue growths. If the doctor notices anything of concern he is able to take a biopsy (small tissue sample) immediately.
• Constipation

Internists

• Internal Medicine
  Dr. Jahnke earned his Medical Degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1978. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Cottage Hospital in 1981 and his Gastroenterology Fellowship at U.C. Davis/V.A. Medical Center, Martinez, California in 1984. Dr. Jahnke is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.
• Gastroenterology
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• Colon Cancer
  Being that it is Colon Cancer awareness month, it is fitting that we are celebrating our 20 year anniversary of serving our community.
• Endoscopy
  In order to get a better view of the inside of the intestinal tract, the GI tract needs to be inflated. Room air is generally used elsewhere, but it can take several hours or even into the next day to pass, either rectally or by belching. This can frequently lead to abdominal discomfort and bloating. Here at the Santa Maria Digestive Diagnostic Center, we use the safe gas, carbon dioxide, because it is absorbed very rapidly through the bowel wall into the bloodstream and then expelled through normal breathing. With the use of carbon dioxide, abdominal discomfort after endoscopy is virtually eliminated.

Endocrinologist

• Diabetes Care

Radiologist

• Ultrasound
  Fibroscan is a non-invasive test that helps assess the health of your liver. Specifically, it uses ultrasound technology to determine the degree of fibrosis or scarring that may be present in your liver from various liver diseases or conditions. This information is then used by your gastroenterologist to individualize and optimize your treatment plan. For some patients, Fibroscan can replace liver biopsy.
• MRI
  Alternative tests to an ERCP include certain types of x-rays (CAT scan, MRI) and sonography (ultrasound) to visualize the pancreas and bile ducts. In addition, dye can be injected into the bile ducts by placing a needle through the skin and into the liver. Small tubing can then be threaded into the bile ducts. Study of the blood also can provide some indirect information about the ducts and pancreas.
• X-Rays

Dermatologists

• Ulcer
  Endoscopy may also be used to treat a digestive tract problem. For example, the endoscope might not only detect active bleeding from an ulcer, but devices can be passed through the endoscope that can stop the bleeding.