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James L. Pirkle Jr., MD

  • Nephrology
James L. Pirkle Jr., MD

James L. Pirkle Jr., MD

  • Nephrology

Conditions and Treatments

  • Kidney Disease
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Acute Kidney Failure
View More
4.9 (54 Ratings)


Adult Provider



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    View Faculty Profile

    Conditions and Treatments

    • Dialysis
    • Hemodialysis
    • In-Center Nocturnal Dialysis
    • Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
    • Home Hemodialysis
    • Intravenous Infusion Therapy
    • Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents
    • In-Center Hemodialysis
    • Isolated Extracorporeal Ultrafiltration
    • Nocturnal Hemodialysis
    • Kidney Disease
    • Acute Nephritic Syndrome
    • Uromodulin-Associated Kidney Disease
    • Peritoneal Dialysis
    • High Blood Pressure
    • Proteinuria (Protein in Urine)
    • Mucin-1 Kidney Disease
    • Ultrafiltration
    • Acute Kidney Failure
    • Electrolyte Disorders
    • Inherited Kidney Disease

    View

    Ratings and Reviews

    4.9

    54 Ratings 38 Comments

    Listened to me 4.9
    Cared about me 4.9
    Clearly explained my problem or condition 4.9
    Included me in decisions about my care 4.9

    Within Atrium Health, we use survey results to better understand what is important to our patients and how we can improve healthcare experiences. The overall Patient Rating score comes from the questions on our Medallia Patient Experience Survey. Responses are measured on a scale, where 0 represents "very poor" and 10 represents "very good.” Those scores are shown as 1 to 5 stars on the provider’s profile.

    Learn About Our Survey

    Patient Comments

    • March 8, 2023 Tremendous, caring Doctor!
    • February 8, 2023 He is caring and knowledgeable. His relationship with me as a patient is what I need to take care of myself.
    • January 28, 2023 Excellent doctor. Has had a key role in my care. Communicates with my cardiologist,primary care doctor. The group works together to provide me with the greatest care. I'm doing as well as I am because of the medical knowledge and compassion of Dr. Pirkle and my other physicians.
    • January 27, 2023 I am very satisfied with my care
    • January 25, 2023 HAPPY HE WAS RETAINED. LISTENS WELL AND RESPONDS TO INQUIRIES. GOES OVER YOUR CONDITION AND TREATMENT. SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT YOUR WELLBEING. UP ON EFECTS OF MEDICATIONS AND TREATMENT.
    • January 21, 2023 Dr. Pirkle is a kind, caring nephrologist. He took the time to explain the changes I am experiencing. I was thankful for the time he gave me
    • December 15, 2022 It is a privilege to be a patient of Dr. Pirkle. He is very patient, compassionate and knowledgeable. We always leave our appointment feeling well cared for.
    • December 12, 2022 Glad he is staying. We would have lost a very knowledgeable and personable doctor. He has all the qualifications you would want in your doctor!!!
    • December 6, 2022 Dr. Pirkle has been my nephrologist for 12 years. I trust him implicitly. I drive from Charlotte because I wouldn??t go to any other provider. He involves me in my care, listens to me, and is compassionate. He is simply the best.
    • December 6, 2022 Dr Pirkle is the best of the best!
    • December 5, 2022 Very friendly, very helpful, a caring person.
    • November 19, 2022 VERY disappointed that Dr.Pirkle leaving AHWFB!!!
    • October 11, 2022 Excellent physician. Feel extremely comfortable under his care.
    • October 10, 2022 He helped me learn to turn the corner on my Diabetes II. He??s a great listener, a truth-teller, and generous in wisdom.
    • October 8, 2022 Dr Pirkle is very personable and friendly. Easy to understand. He cares, knowledgeable, and very thorough.
    • October 3, 2022 Dr.Pirkle is a good listener and I enjoyed being his patient.
    • October 3, 2022 Dr Pirckle is a very thorough caring Doctor. Every doctor should be like this.
    • October 3, 2022 Dr Pirkle is great! I wish the parking was as great as he is.
    • October 1, 2022 Dr Pirkle is a wonderful Doctor, he listens to my problems and gives very good solutions.
    • September 13, 2022 I have the best doctor in the hospital. I couldn't ask for a better doctor. Dr. James Pirkle always listens to any concerns I have and he always have compassion for my concerns. Doctor Pirkle always makes his patients feel as if they are his only patient. He partners with his patients, upon every visit, we go over a plan of care. I feel confident in the tailored plan Dr. Pirkle has outlined for my care.
    • September 13, 2022 When my nephrologist in Greensboro retired I ask GOD to provide me with the best Dr. Available. Dr. Pirkle is an answer to my prayers. He's great!!!!
    • September 9, 2022 Dr Pirkle is the best.
    • September 3, 2022 A true physician in all accounts. He demonstrates qualities that so many physicians lost long ago. So very refreshing to see him
    • July 21, 2022 Dr Pirkle is understanding and will answer your questions He explains everything to where you can understand He is a caring Dr
    • July 18, 2022 He takes time to talk with us. Never acts like he is in a hurry. Shows genuine care for Sam and is very good and patient with him.
    • July 10, 2022 Dr Pirkle is one of the most amazing Doctors I??ve ever had.
    • July 10, 2022 He is one of the best doctors he has a pleasing personality great bedside Dr manners and he cares most doctors don't do that anymore Dr perkle is one of a kind keep him always
    • July 10, 2022 Dr Pirkle cares so much for his patients it gives you peace in scary times.
    • July 2, 2022 Dr. Pickle was so clear on instructions and clear on diagnosis. Extremely understanding. You can tell I liked him!
    • July 2, 2022 Exceptonal
    • June 29, 2022 Dr. Pirkle is one of the best. He's familiar, cares about his patients and always works with you to make informed decisions about your care. He is very concerned about your long-term well-being and is very easy to talk to.
    • June 26, 2022 From my first appointment with Dr. Pirkle, he has shown genuine concern for my health issues. He's a very dedicated, and caring doctor. Thankful to have him a part of my team of physicians.
    • June 26, 2022 He is a great Doctor. His intelligence mixed with his caring nature are the main reasons. He listens to your ideas While also presenting his. When your seen by him you feel very comfortable and trust his recommendations
    • June 14, 2022 Very caring and explained everything
    • May 12, 2022 Dr Pirkle is a fantastic dr always listens to what you have to say and answers any questions you have
    • April 3, 2022 Absolutely superb physician. As a physician educator I have seen many doctors at all levels and Dr. Pirkle is right there at the top.
    • March 19, 2022 I have written my reply of how great I think he is at the beginning of survey.
    • March 13, 2022 he is the very best

    Locations

    Kidney Services - Janeway Tower

    at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

    Address

    Medical Center Boulevard

    7th Floor

    Winston-Salem, NC 27157

    Get Directions

    Appointments

    336-716-4650
    336-716-4318 (FAX)
    Kidney Services - Janeway Tower

    Credentials

    Education

    • BS, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999
    • MD, University of Alabama - Birmingham, 2003

    Residency

    • Internal Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, 2006

    Fellowship

    • Nephrology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2009

    Board Certifications

    • American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine
    • American Board of Internal Medicine, Nephrology

    Positions

    • Physician
    • Associate Professor, Nephrology

    Insurance

    Insurance Accepted

    This chart is a list of the most common health insurance plans we accept. This list is subject to change. Please check your individual plan to confirm their participation and the coverage allowed.

    Due to the different physician groups and hospitals within the Wake Forest Baptist system, physician services and hospital services are billed separately. Please remember that health insurance coverage varies, so some services may not be covered.

    If you don’t see your plan or you have questions, please call our Customer Service Center at 877-938-7497. We will do our best to work with you and your plan.


    Key

    WFUHS - Wake Forest University Health Sciences (professional services)
    NCBH
    - North Carolina Baptist Hospital
    LMC
    - Lexington Medical Center
    CHC
    - Cornerstone Healthcare
    Wilkes
    - Wilkes Regional Medical Center
    HPR
    - High Point Regional
    N/A
    - Not applicable to services provided at facility and/or CHC
    NC
    -Not Contracted, very low to no volume for facility and/or CHC


    Wake Forest Baptist Health Managed Care/MA Contracts - January2022

    AETNA CONNECTED ACA/Exchange: Accepted at all locations

    AETNA (PPO & HMO): Accepted at all locations

    AETNA MEDICARE: Accepted at all locations

    AETNA WHOLE HEALTH: Accepted at all locations

    ALIGNMENT HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, Davie, LMC, CHC and Wilkes (not applicable to services provided at High Point)

    AMBETTER OF NC: Accepted at all locations

    AMERIHEALTH CARITAS NEXT ACA/Exchange: Accepted at all locations

    APEX MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at all locations

    BCBSNC (PPO & HMO): Accepted at all locations

    BCBS HIGH PERFORMANCE (NATIONAL NETWORK): Accepted at all locations

    BLUE LOCAL (WFBH INDIVIDUAL & WFBH X_Group): Accepted at all locations

    BLUE MEDICARE: Accepted at all locations

    BLUE VALUE: Accepted at all locations

    CAROLINA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and CHC (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC, Wilkes and High Point)

    CIGNA: Accepted at all locations

    CIGNA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Accepted at NCBH and High Point (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC, CHC and Wilkes)

    CIGNA HEALTHSPRING MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, Davie, LMC, CHC and High Point (not applicable to services provided at Wilkes)

    CIGNA LIFESOURCE (TRANSPLANTS): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    COVENTRY/WELLPATH: Accepted at all locations

    CRESCENT PPO (ASHEVILLE): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    DEVOTED HEALTH: Accepted at all locations

    DIRECT NET:
    Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, Davie, LMC, Wilkes and High Point (not contracted, very low to no volume for CHC)

    FIRST HEALTH (COVENTRY): Accepted at all locations

    FIRSTCAROLINACARE (PINEHURST, NC): Accepted at NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for WFUHS, Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    GATEWAY HEALTH ALLIANCE (VIRGINIA): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    GOLDEN RULE INS (UNITED): Accepted at all locations

    HEALTHGRAM (formerly PRIMARY PHYSICIAN CARE): Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and LMC (not contracted, very low to no volume for Davie, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    HEALTHTEAM ADVANTAGE: Accepted at all locations

    HUMANA CHOICECARE: Accepted at all locations

    HUMANA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at all locations

    LIBERTY ADVANTAGE (MEDICARE ADVANTAGE): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    MAGELLAN (BEHAVIORAL HEALTH): Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and CHC (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC, Wilkes and High Point)

    MEDCOST: Accepted at all locations

    MEDCOST ULTRA: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, Davie, LMC, Wilkes and High Point (not applicable at CHC)

    OPTUMHEALTH (TRANSPLANTS - APPLICABLE TO NCBH/WFUHS ONLY): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    PREFERRED CARE OF VA INC: Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    SOUTHERN HEALTH SVCS (COVENTRY-PPO ONLY): Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, Davie and CHC (not contracted, very low to no volume for LMC, Wilkes and High Point)

    TWIN COUNTY (VIRGINIA): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, CHC and High Point (not applicable to services provided at Davie, LMC and Wilkes)

    UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAM (WFUHS ONLY): Accepted at WFUHS (not applicable for services provided at NCBH, Davie, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)

    UNITED HEALTHCARE: Accepted at all locations

    UNITED HEALTHCARE ESSENTIALS ACA/EXCHANGE: Accepted at all locations

    UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE: Accepted at all locations

    VA CCN: Accepted at all locations

    WELLCARE: Accepted at all locations

    WELLPATH (COVENTRY): Accepted at all locations 


    Key 

    WFUHS - Wake Forest University Health Sciences (professional services)
    NCBH - North Carolina Baptist Hospital
    LMC - Lexington Medical Center
    CHC - Cornerstone Healthcare
    Wilkes - Wilkes Regional Medical Center
    HPR- High Point Regional
    N/A - Not applicable to services provided at facility and/or CHC
    NC - Not Contracted, very low to no volume for facility and/or CHC


    Research

    • Publications
    • Association of Hyperchloremia With Unfavorable Clinical Outcomes in Adults With Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Goad NT, Bakhru RN, Pirkle JL, Kenes MT. J Intensive Care Med. 2020 Nov; 35(11):1307-1313.
    • Development and application of a high throughput one-pot extraction protocol for quantitative LC-MS/MS analysis of phospholipids in serum and lipoprotein fractions in normolipidemic and dyslipidemic subjects. Gardner MS, Kuklenyik Z, Lehtikoski A, Carter KA, McWilliams LG, Kusovschi J, Bierbaum K, Jones JI, Rees J, Reis G, Pirkle JL, Barr JR. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2019 Jun; 1118-1119:137-147.
    • Quantification of hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine in human plasma by HPLC-MS/MS. Sanford AA, Isenberg SL, Carter MD, Mojica MA, Mathews TP, Laughlin S, Thomas JD, Pirkle JL, Johnson RC. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2018 Sep; 1095:112-118.
    • Collaborative Method Performance Study of the Measurement of Nicotine, Its Metabolites, and Total Nicotine Equivalents in Human Urine. Wang L, Bernert JT, Benowitz NL, Feng J, Jacob P, McGahee E, Caudill SP, Scherer G, Scherer M, Pluym N, Doig MV, Newland K, Murphy SE, Caron NJ, Sander LC, Shimizu M, Yamazaki H, Kim S, Langman LJ, Pritchett JS, Sniegoski LT, Li Y, Blount BC, Pirkle JL. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2018 09; 27(9):1083-1090.
    • Quantitative HPLC-MS/MS analysis of toxins in soapberry seeds: Methylenecyclopropylglycine and hypoglycin A. Sanford AA, Isenberg SL, Carter MD, Mojica MA, Mathews TP, Harden LA, Takeoka GR, Thomas JD, Pirkle JL, Johnson RC. Food Chem. 2018 Oct; 264:449-454.
    View More Publications

    Research Interests

    • Hemodialysis
    • Nutrition
    • Peritoneal Dialysis

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