Nephrology Specialist Spotlight: Dr. Heather Ratliff
Dr. Heather Ratliff is inspired by the scripture 1 Peter 4:10: Each one has received a gift; use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. The passage emphasizes the importance of utilizing one’s gifts to serve others. She believes that her passion for serving patients with kidney disease is a gift from God. Dr. Ratliff finds patients with kidney disease to be among the most complex in medicine, often presenting with a high burden of comorbid disease. As a nephrologist and osteopathic physician, she believes the physician must look at the bigger picture. She considers this philosophy when developing treatment plans for her patients and takes great satisfaction in teaching patients about their diagnoses and empowering them to take an active role in their own care.
Dr. Ratliff is an experienced Nephrologist who graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2004. She completed an Internal Medicine residency at Charleston Area Medical Center in 2007, followed by a Nephrology Fellowship at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in 2009. Since 2009, Dr. Ratliff has been practicing Nephrology in Lewisburg, WV, where she has gained extensive experience in a variety of focus areas within the specialty of nephrology, including outpatient nephrology clinic, in-center dialysis, home hemodialysis, home peritoneal dialysis, acute/hospital-based nephrology consult and dialysis services, medical director, and tele-nephrology services.
Dr. Ratliff has offered her expertise via telehealth for approximately six years. Her primary motivation for doing so was to reach patients who face limited access to care. She is well aware of the nephrology shortage in many areas of the US, particularly in rural areas. Patients in these regions often face financial constraints and limited transportation options that limit their ability to obtain advice from a specialist. Primary care providers connect with specialists like Dr. Ratliff by using video and written summaries of their patient’s conditions and goals for their care. She strongly believes this is an effective way to overcome access barriers and provide specialty services to underserved and vulnerable patient populations.
Since early 2023, Dr. Ratliff has been working for Sitka, which was recently acquired by AristaMD, where she serves as a telehealth provider. Her favorite aspect of the role is knowing that her nephrology recommendations during the peer-to-peer consultation process can significantly impact patient care. Patients with renal disease are at high risk of complications and progression to dialysis or transplantation, making early intervention critical. Recommendations provided by Dr. Ratliff to the primary care providers she works with often play a crucial role in slowing the progression of disease and managing complications.
I feel that God has given me a gift in my passion to serve patients with kidney disease. These are some of the most complex patients in medicine, often with a high burden of comorbid disease.
As a nephrologist, Dr. Ratliff typically receives consult requests for evaluating how to slow the progression in a patient with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), assessing and managing CKD-related complications, as well as treating other conditions such as hypertension, gout, electrolyte or acid-base disorders, and kidney stone prevention. She also receives queries about managing medications, blood pressure, anemia, and various symptoms for patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
Dr. Ratliff receives feedback from the PCPs she advises, who express their gratitude for her guidance in managing their patients’ conditions. They appreciate her expertise in managing patients effectively without an in-person referral. Her work in telehealth has made a significant impact on patient care — proof that she is truly using her gifts to serve others.
As a nephrologist, it is impossible to focus on just one piece of the puzzle and treat the patient effectively; we have to look at the bigger picture and how it all plays together.