I have heard that one can perform caths as a private cardiologist if they only do the General 3 year fellowhip in cardiology and do NOT elect to the the extra 2 years of cath. How true is this ? I know you can't in teh academic world, but lets say you wanted to practive cards in suburbia, could you then?
Do you need a cath fellowship to do caths?
- Thread starter Jackie1.
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2004
- Messages
- 2,204
- Reaction score
- 0
Jackie1. said:
Yes, you can do caths in private practice. Only thing is, your partners may have to spend time showing you the ropes and teaching you better technique, unless you got TONS of experience doing them in your fellowship.
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2004
- Messages
- 929
- Reaction score
- 17
It all depends on whether or not the hospital or other facility decides to credential you to perform those procedures. If you haven't done the extra year or two of coronary interventions, don't expect them to credential you.
Now its a totally different ball game for non-coronary interventions. You can go to a weekend seminar sponsored by device manufacturers, practice on a pig and voila!!! You are instantly qualified to perform peripheral and carotid interventions, maybe even put in a caval filter. A lot of hospitals will credential you to do those. No joke! 😱
So how is this possible, you ask? Cardiology brings in so many patients (and money) to the hospital that they have leverage to practically do what ever they want. The cardio group tells the hospital "You won't let us do X,Y,Z? Fine! we'll take our busin.. I mean patients to the hospital across town, or build our own health care facility!"
Hospitals have no choice but to comply, which allows cardiologists to perform procedures whether they are qualified to perform them safely or not.
In my part of the country there are 'specialty' hospitals started and owned by certain specialists. The odd thing is if patients happen to be well-insured they go to the specialty hospital. If the patients are 'self-pay' they end up at University/County hospital where Uncle Sam picks up the tab, c/o you and me the tax-payer! 👍
Now its a totally different ball game for non-coronary interventions. You can go to a weekend seminar sponsored by device manufacturers, practice on a pig and voila!!! You are instantly qualified to perform peripheral and carotid interventions, maybe even put in a caval filter. A lot of hospitals will credential you to do those. No joke! 😱
So how is this possible, you ask? Cardiology brings in so many patients (and money) to the hospital that they have leverage to practically do what ever they want. The cardio group tells the hospital "You won't let us do X,Y,Z? Fine! we'll take our busin.. I mean patients to the hospital across town, or build our own health care facility!"
Hospitals have no choice but to comply, which allows cardiologists to perform procedures whether they are qualified to perform them safely or not.
In my part of the country there are 'specialty' hospitals started and owned by certain specialists. The odd thing is if patients happen to be well-insured they go to the specialty hospital. If the patients are 'self-pay' they end up at University/County hospital where Uncle Sam picks up the tab, c/o you and me the tax-payer! 👍
