Medical Oncology is a subspecialty of internal medicine.
Doctors who specialize in internal medicine treat a wide range of
medical problems. Medical oncologists treat cancer and manage the
patient’s course of treatment. A medical oncologist might also consult
with other physicians about the patient’s care or refer the patient to
other specialists. Most physicians who treat people with cancer are
medical doctors and they have an M.D. degree, or osteopathic doctors who
have a D.O. degree. The basic training for both types of physicians
includes 4 years of premedical education at a college or university, 4
years of either medical school to earn an M.D. or D.O. degree, and
postgraduate medical education through internships and residences. This
training usually lasts 3 to 7 years. Physicians must pass an exam to
become licensed to practice medicine in their state. Each state has its
own procedures and general standards for licensing physicians. When
choosing a doctor for your cancer care, you will probably find it
helpful to know some of the terms used to describe a doctor’s training
and credentials.
Hematology is also a subspecialty of internal medicine. Hematologists focus on diseases of the blood and related tissues.
Radiation Oncology is a subspecialty of radiology. Radiation oncologists specialize in the use of radiation to treat cancer.
Surgery is a specialty that pertains to the treatment of
disease by surgical operation. General surgeons perform operations on
almost any area of the body. Physicians can also choose to specialize
in a certain type of surgery.
Specialists are physicians who have completed their residency
training in a specific area. Independent specialty boards certify
physicians after they have fulfilled certain requirements. These
requirements include meeting specific education and training criteria,
being licensed to practice medicine, and passing an examination given by
the specialty board. Doctors who have met all of the requirements are
given the status of “Diplomate” and are board certified as specialists.
Doctors who are board eligible have obtained the required education and
training but have not completed the specialty board examination.After
being trained and certified as a specialist, a physician may choose to
become a subspecialist. A subspecialist has at least one additional year
of full-time education in a particular area of a specialty. This
training is designed to increase the physician’s expertise in a specific
field. Specialists can be board certified in their subspecialty as
well.Almost all board-certified specialists are members of their medical
specialty society. Physicians can attain Fellowship status in a
specialty society, such as the American College of Surgeons (ACS) if
they demonstrate outstanding achievement in their profession. Criteria
for Fellowship status may include the number of years of membership in
the specialty society, years practicing in the specialty, and
professional recognition by peers.
Showing posts with label oncologist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oncologist. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Medicaide and Private Pay Insurance
Have you ever wondered if there’s a difference in cancer care between
private pay and Medicaid, the federal health plan for low-income
people? Now three new studies show that Medicaid patients appear to
receive worse cancer care than people with private insurance.
Those covered by Medicaid are less likely to have their cancer caught at an earlier and more treatable phase; and the Medicaid patients also are also more likely to die from cancer than people with private insurance according to researchers.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to this such as lack of experience in navigating the health care system, says an oncologist at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University in Chicago.
“Research has shown that we can screen more patients, but that they get dropped along the way to treatment. We don’t give them full access into curative therapy,” says a spokeswoman for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “We need to do a better job to make sure that people who aren’t savvy or can’t advocate for themselves have that helping hand.”
The three studies each focused on a different type of cancer and how insurance affects screening or care for patients; and the first study was on done on Hodgkin lymphoma, with researchers from the University of Tennessee reviewing data for 6,395 patients treated for the cancer between 2007 and 2010.
The study revealed that doctors were more likely to catch the person’s lymphoma at an earlier stage if they had private insurance. About 59 percent of people with private insurance received a diagnosis before cancer had a chance to spread throughout their body, compared with 50 percent of Medicaid patients. And Medicaid patients were less likely to receive radiation treatment. 35% of the Medicaid patients received radiation compared to 43% of privately insured patients. And finally, privately insured patients were more likely to survive. 84% percent survived their lymphoma compared with 71 percent of Medicaid patients.
Results from the second study that involved cases of melanoma were similar. Researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland reviewed data for 31,957 patients treated for melanoma between 1996 and 2009 in Ohio. They found that patients were two and a half times likelier to be diagnosed with late-stage melanoma if they were covered by Medicaid.
The final study regarded breast cancer. The researchers found that women were less likely to receive medically advanced techniques for diagnosing breast cancer if they had Medicaid or Medicare. Only 47 percent of Medicaid or Medicare patients received a breast MRI– compared with 81 percent of those with private insurance.
The results from all studies were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Patients often have trouble finding a doctor or hospital that participates in Medicaid because the program traditionally has not paid as well as Medicare or private insurance for medical services. And Medicaid’s low-income enrollees have life problems that can hamper their cancer care. Medicaid patients also tend to have more health problems overall, which means they may put off cancer screening to focus on chronic illnesses like heart disease or diabetes.
Currently, there are 4.8 million additional people that have joined Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces opened in October 2013. Currently, a total 64.6 million low-income people are covered by the federal health insurance programs.
Doctors hope that increased access to Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will improve the care patients receive. The law also includes a provision that increases pay for Medicaid services, in an effort to draw more doctors and hospitals to the program.
“What we’ve seen in Massachusetts is that lots more patients have coverage,” said one doctor. “Many people who have been outside the traditional health care system came into the system and began receiving care, and I think that’s been good for them.”
But these new patients still face problems getting care for cancer. Even those who receive cancer screening often fall through the cracks before they can receive treatment.
Some doctors advocate the use of “nurse navigators” who can act as care managers for Medicaid patients, steering their care and advising them through the complex process of cancer treatment. The results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. “Simply paying for health care and actually showing people the way forward are two different things,” Patel said.
So how do you feel about health care? Do you think the Affordable Care Act is a good thing–or a bad thing? Do you know how will it affect you personally?
Those covered by Medicaid are less likely to have their cancer caught at an earlier and more treatable phase; and the Medicaid patients also are also more likely to die from cancer than people with private insurance according to researchers.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to this such as lack of experience in navigating the health care system, says an oncologist at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University in Chicago.
“Research has shown that we can screen more patients, but that they get dropped along the way to treatment. We don’t give them full access into curative therapy,” says a spokeswoman for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “We need to do a better job to make sure that people who aren’t savvy or can’t advocate for themselves have that helping hand.”
The three studies each focused on a different type of cancer and how insurance affects screening or care for patients; and the first study was on done on Hodgkin lymphoma, with researchers from the University of Tennessee reviewing data for 6,395 patients treated for the cancer between 2007 and 2010.
The study revealed that doctors were more likely to catch the person’s lymphoma at an earlier stage if they had private insurance. About 59 percent of people with private insurance received a diagnosis before cancer had a chance to spread throughout their body, compared with 50 percent of Medicaid patients. And Medicaid patients were less likely to receive radiation treatment. 35% of the Medicaid patients received radiation compared to 43% of privately insured patients. And finally, privately insured patients were more likely to survive. 84% percent survived their lymphoma compared with 71 percent of Medicaid patients.
Results from the second study that involved cases of melanoma were similar. Researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland reviewed data for 31,957 patients treated for melanoma between 1996 and 2009 in Ohio. They found that patients were two and a half times likelier to be diagnosed with late-stage melanoma if they were covered by Medicaid.
The final study regarded breast cancer. The researchers found that women were less likely to receive medically advanced techniques for diagnosing breast cancer if they had Medicaid or Medicare. Only 47 percent of Medicaid or Medicare patients received a breast MRI– compared with 81 percent of those with private insurance.
The results from all studies were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Patients often have trouble finding a doctor or hospital that participates in Medicaid because the program traditionally has not paid as well as Medicare or private insurance for medical services. And Medicaid’s low-income enrollees have life problems that can hamper their cancer care. Medicaid patients also tend to have more health problems overall, which means they may put off cancer screening to focus on chronic illnesses like heart disease or diabetes.
Currently, there are 4.8 million additional people that have joined Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces opened in October 2013. Currently, a total 64.6 million low-income people are covered by the federal health insurance programs.
Doctors hope that increased access to Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will improve the care patients receive. The law also includes a provision that increases pay for Medicaid services, in an effort to draw more doctors and hospitals to the program.
“What we’ve seen in Massachusetts is that lots more patients have coverage,” said one doctor. “Many people who have been outside the traditional health care system came into the system and began receiving care, and I think that’s been good for them.”
But these new patients still face problems getting care for cancer. Even those who receive cancer screening often fall through the cracks before they can receive treatment.
Some doctors advocate the use of “nurse navigators” who can act as care managers for Medicaid patients, steering their care and advising them through the complex process of cancer treatment. The results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. “Simply paying for health care and actually showing people the way forward are two different things,” Patel said.
So how do you feel about health care? Do you think the Affordable Care Act is a good thing–or a bad thing? Do you know how will it affect you personally?
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