Commentary on recent article /r declining numbers of practicing pathologists

[Med Director New England]

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Author doesn’t make a dogmatic statement but highlights the reasons less pathologists are needed than previously

How Many Pathologists Does the United States Need?

Pathology is the study of disease. The practice of pathology in the United States is the application of all laboratory sciences to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of disease. If that expansive vision is true, how can it be that the workforce of US pathologists has declined...

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[y2k_free_radical]

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Author doesn’t make a dogmatic statement but highlights the reasons less pathologists are needed than previously

How Many Pathologists Does the United States Need?

Pathology is the study of disease. The practice of pathology in the United States is the application of all laboratory sciences to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of disease. If that expansive vision is true, how can it be that the workforce of US pathologists has declined...

jamanetwork.com

Doesn't practically address problems nor realities of the marketplace and business of pathology in 2019.This is more of the general BS type writing favored by academicians and the CAP.Don't hold your breath for autopsy funding nor pathologist in charge of the real doctors who order tests.

 

[dukeresident]

CAP is a disingenuous organization.

 

[deleted314957]

Autopsies in the community, non-forensic setting really have to go.Clinicians must give up their old, stereotypical ideas as regards posts. Even 6 years ago when I retired I only considered doing
very limited “question oriented “ posts. For example, clinician “orders an autopsy”. I call clinician and ask “ what’s your question?” She says she “wonders what the liver looked like”.
A small incision with a wedge and I am done. The P.A. can do it.
I don’t know if even this would be practical any more. I sure as hell would not do it for zero reimbursement.

 

[Med Director New England]

Doesn't practically address problems nor realities of the marketplace and business of pathology in 2019.This is more of the general BS type writing favored by academicians and the CAP.Don't hold your breath for autopsy funding nor pathologist in charge of the real doctors who order tests.

Agree, author artfully manages to avoid taking a position on the issue he is opining on (whether or not we have too few pathologists). I think if he had come out and made a definitive statement that we have an oversupply or even hinted at this the article never would have gotten published b/c the reviewers are all academia. But he does a pretty good job explaining to a non-pathologist MD the trends in the field of pathology that could explain how we could absorb losing so many practicing pathologists.

This focus on the autopsy in this discussion or as a valuable metric for residency programs is shamefully outdated. Come on man !! Most job ads consider it a pertinent negative and boast about a position that has 0% autopsy expectation. I do think in most community hospitals the medical autopsy has all but disappeared. It is becoming too expensive to maintain a decent autopsy suite, manage the additional burden on descendant affairs, retain diening service, etc for most 100 bed hospitals to offer in house autopsies. If there is an academic center within 50-75 miles most little hospitals are making agreements to outsource autopsies.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Did anyone see the Wikipedia page for the author of that commentary?

George D. Lundberg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[y2k_free_radical]

Agree, author manages to artfully avoid taking a position on the issue he is opining on (whether or not we have too few pathologists). I think if he had come out and made a definitive statement that we have an oversupply or even hinted at this the article never would have gotten published b/c the reviewers are all academia. But he does a pretty good job explaining to a non-pathologist MD the trends in the field of pathology that could explain how we could absorb losing so many practicing pathologists.

This focus on the autopsy in this discussion or as a valuable metric for residency programs is shamefully outdated. Come on man !! Most job ads consider it a pertinent negative and boast about a position that has 0% autopsy expectation. I do think in most community hospitals the medical autopsy has all but disappeared. It is becoming too expensive to maintain a decent autopsy suite, manage the additional burden on descent affairs, retain diening service, etc for most 100 bed hospitals to offer in house autopsies. If there is an academic center within 50-75 miles most little hospitals are making agreements to outsource autopsies.

A

Did anyone see the Wikipedia page for the author of that commentary?

George D. Lundberg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Agree, author manages to artfully avoid taking a position on the issue he is opining on (whether or not we have too few pathologists). I think if he had come out and made a definitive statement that we have an oversupply or even hinted at this the article never would have gotten published b/c the reviewers are all academia. But he does a pretty good job explaining to a non-pathologist MD the trends in the field of pathology that could explain how we could absorb losing so many practicing pathologists.

This focus on the autopsy in this discussion or as a valuable metric for residency programs is shamefully outdated. Come on man !! Most job ads consider it a pertinent negative and boast about a position that has 0% autopsy expectation. I do think in most community hospitals the medical autopsy has all but disappeared. It is becoming too expensive to maintain a decent autopsy suite, manage the additional burden on descent affairs, retain diening service, etc for most 100 bed hospitals to offer in house autopsies. If there is an academic center within 50-75 miles most little hospitals are making agreements to outsource autopsies.

I actually do this for several surrounding hospitals to help augment my declining income from surgical pathology.My wife who is a PA does most of the dirty work as i supervise.

 

[y2k_free_radical]

Did anyone see the Wikipedia page for the author of that commentary?

George D. Lundberg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

JAMA was wrong since HPV became the leading cause of oral cancer in white males under 40.