© Elaine Schattner, 2009, 2022 By : Template Sell.

In Defense of Primary Care, and of Sub-Sub-Sub-Specialists

Elaine Schattner, MD

An article in the March 24 NEJM called Specialization, Subspecialization, and Subsubspecialization in Internal Medicine might have some heads shaking: Isn’t there a shortage of primary care physicians? The sounding-board piece considers the recent decision of the American Board of Internal Medicine to issue certificates in two new fields: (1) hospice and palliative care and (2) advanced heart failure and plans in-the-works for official credentialing in other, relatively narrow fields like addiction and obesity.

The essay caught my attention because I do think it’s true that we need more well-trained specialists

Posted in Essential Lessons, Future of Medicine, health care costs, health care delivery, Medical Education, PolicyTagged , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on In Defense of Primary Care, and of Sub-Sub-Sub-Specialists

Thoughts on Geraldine Ferraro, and Myeloma

Elaine Schattner, MD

Like many New Yorkers, feminists?, hematologists and other people, I was saddened to learn yesterday of Geraldine Ferraro‘s death. The Depression-era born mother, attorney, criminal prosecutor, Congresswoman, 1984 Democratic VP-candidate and part-time neighbor to yours truly, succumbed to complications of multiple myeloma at the age of 75. Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells – […]

Posted in cancer survival, cancer treatment, Hematology (blood), Oncology (cancer), Public IllnessTagged , , , , , , , , 5 Comments on Thoughts on Geraldine Ferraro, and Myeloma

Radiologists’ Experience Matters in Mammography Outcomes

Elaine Schattner, MD

There’s a new study out on mammography with important implications for breast cancer screening. The main result is that when radiologists review more mammograms per year, the rate of false positives declines. The stated purpose of the research,* published in the journal Radiology, was to see how radiologists’ interpretive volume – essentially the number of […]

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer screening, Diagnosis, health care delivery, Oncology (cancer), Under the RadarTagged , , , , , , , 8 Comments on Radiologists’ Experience Matters in Mammography Outcomes

On a Velázquez Portrait, and the Value of Expertise

Elaine Schattner, MD

This is an unusual entry into a discussion on the limits of patient empowerment. In late December the Times ran a story, beginning on its front page, about a portrait in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Diego Velázquez, the 17th Century Spanish painter. The news was that the tall representation of the teenage Prince […]

Posted in Diagnosis, Empowered Patient, Exhibits, Life in NYC, Medical Education, Patient AutonomyTagged , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on On a Velázquez Portrait, and the Value of Expertise
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