Dr. Richard Charles Lotsch, DO

Personal Biography I was born and raised in Southeastern Pennsylvania, the youngest of three children. During my teen years, I discovered a passion for helping others. In high school, I worked as a camp counselor with handicapped children and, also, began to volunteer with the community ambulance squad, responding to 911 calls in my local community. I became certified as an emergency medical technician and, later, a paramedic. Then, I worked as a paramedic while taking college classes and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. I enjoyed the paramedic work much more than the college chemistry studies. Realizing that chemistry was not the field for me, I completed my bachelor’s degree at the Hahnemann University Physician Assistant Program. After working as a P.A. for the next 7 years, including 5 years in the U.S. Air Force, I wanted an opportunity to further expand my medical knowledge so I chose to enter medical school and become a physician. Emergency medicine is never boring. A seemingly quiet shift in the ER can become very exciting at any given moment when the next critical patient rolls in the door. I chose to specialize in emergency medicine because of the unique challenges of this setting and the wide variety of medical problems encountered on any given day. As an emergency medicine specialist, I am able to diagnose and treat patients with life-threatening conditions, in addition to treating the many non-life-threatening problems for which people seek ER care. The ever-evolving practice of emergency medicine requires me to stay on the cutting edge by attending national medical education courses and through self-study of the latest medical literature. "Kaiser Permanente lets doctors be doctors." We have all heard this advertisement, but in the end, this is what attracted me to be a Kaiser Permanente physician. After serving another 4 years in the U.S. Air Force as a physician and Chief of Emergency Services at Travis Air Force Base, I chose to leave the Air Force and enter civilian practice. Kaiser Permanente has given me the opportunity to practice high-quality medicine in a system with extensive medical resources, a teamwork approach to patient care, and a strong commitment to serving our patients with world-class programs designed to keep our patients healthy. Healthy lifestyle choices are extremely important for each of us. Tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, poor diet, lack of exercise, unnecessary risk-taking activities, and obesity all play a role in the development of diseases which shorten many lives and reduce quality of living for many others. Kaiser Permanente has numerous programs to help our patients make good lifestyle choices. My goal as a physician is to help my patients make the best choices by providing them with information so that they can lead healthy lives. Of course, when illness or injury does occur, I stand ready to help them face these challenges as well. In my off-duty hours, I enjoy swimming, sailing, skiing and motorcycling in the wide-open spaces of beautiful Northern California. I also enjoy traveling with my wife and playing with my golden retriever, Max. I am a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. For more information on what a D.O. is, click here.