For my staff
I created this page for you to refer to when you are helping me with my patients.
The most common types of patients I see in the clinic are women having problems with fibroids, and men having trouble with their prostate.
But we treat many other types of patients. And many of them will benefit from a clinic visit
The most common types of patients I see in the clinic are women having problems with fibroids, and men having trouble with their prostate.
But we treat many other types of patients. And many of them will benefit from a clinic visit
For IR Scheduling
Assisting me in Clinic
For Nurses
Why are some patients seen in clinic while others are not?
Good question. The short answer is because the ones I see in clinic are either self-referred or have a lot of questions about a complex procedure that their doctor can't answer.
In 2021 the IRs who see clinic patients are me and Dr. Zink at MDIC, Dr. Bynum at HOAK, Dr. Middlebrook at MSTH, Dr. Pallan at Metro, and Dr. Childers and Dr. Zink in the Pedi Vascular Malformation Clinic
It's confusing because most radiologists do not see patients in clinic. Most radiologists have little or no contact with patients. But as an Interventional Radiologist I do procedures on patients, so I interact with patients all day. That said, most of the procedures I perform are on patients I have not seen in clinic. For the IR docs in STRG who don't participate in clinic, this is true for all of their procedures.
Those patients will have been seen by another doctor, who evaluates them and decides that the patient needs a procedure. A very common example of this is a biopsy. When an oncologist sees a patient and decides he/she needs a biopsy, they write a request for us to do a biopsy. We call this an "order" but it is really more like a consult. Just because we are asked to do a procedure does not mean we will automatically do it (as you would if it was an order)
We schedule that procedure and I meet the patient for the first time just a few minutes before the biopsy. At that time I briefly review the reason for the biopsy. Then I explain the procedure to the patient (and their family) and answer their questions. That is the process of consent. Then I do the procedure, say a lung biopsy in CT. After the procedure I let the patient leave the hospital once I am satisfied they have recovered and are not having a complication. Even though this encounter is brief, it establishes a doctor/patient relationship. Most often, though, I never see this patient again.
When I see a patient in clinic I establish the doctor/patient relationship during that visit. I become one of that patient's doctors and I will decide if a procedure is the right treatment for the patient. Some of my patients are referrals, and for these I usually wind up doing the procedure they were sent to talk to me about, as another doctor has already sorted out the issue and decided that was best. But many of my patients are self-referred. For those patients I have to hear their story, examine them, get appropriate imaging studies and blood tests, and make a treatment plan. That plan could be to refer them to another type of doctor, prescribe medications for that patient, or order a procedure to be done. I will also set a follow-up plan.
The patients who are referred to me rather than just sent to the hospital to have a procedure usually fall into two categories. 1) they have an issue that takes a lot of explaining for the patient and family and the referring doc wants me to do that and then set up the procedure, like a UFE, or 2) the referring doctor is not quite sure what I can do for the patient's problem and wants me to figure it out. A patient with cancer is a good example. The oncologist knows I have a variety of interventions I can perform that might help the patient and wants me to decide which is best.
The patients who are self referred, in 2022, are usually either women with fibroids or men with large prostates who have been told they need surgery and are looking for a non-surgical solution. Unfortunately, most OB/GYNs still do not tell their patients UFE is an option for fibroids, and almost no urologist will admit that PAE is a decent alternative to surgery for a big prostate.
In 2021 the IRs who see clinic patients are me and Dr. Zink at MDIC, Dr. Bynum at HOAK, Dr. Middlebrook at MSTH, Dr. Pallan at Metro, and Dr. Childers and Dr. Zink in the Pedi Vascular Malformation Clinic
It's confusing because most radiologists do not see patients in clinic. Most radiologists have little or no contact with patients. But as an Interventional Radiologist I do procedures on patients, so I interact with patients all day. That said, most of the procedures I perform are on patients I have not seen in clinic. For the IR docs in STRG who don't participate in clinic, this is true for all of their procedures.
Those patients will have been seen by another doctor, who evaluates them and decides that the patient needs a procedure. A very common example of this is a biopsy. When an oncologist sees a patient and decides he/she needs a biopsy, they write a request for us to do a biopsy. We call this an "order" but it is really more like a consult. Just because we are asked to do a procedure does not mean we will automatically do it (as you would if it was an order)
We schedule that procedure and I meet the patient for the first time just a few minutes before the biopsy. At that time I briefly review the reason for the biopsy. Then I explain the procedure to the patient (and their family) and answer their questions. That is the process of consent. Then I do the procedure, say a lung biopsy in CT. After the procedure I let the patient leave the hospital once I am satisfied they have recovered and are not having a complication. Even though this encounter is brief, it establishes a doctor/patient relationship. Most often, though, I never see this patient again.
When I see a patient in clinic I establish the doctor/patient relationship during that visit. I become one of that patient's doctors and I will decide if a procedure is the right treatment for the patient. Some of my patients are referrals, and for these I usually wind up doing the procedure they were sent to talk to me about, as another doctor has already sorted out the issue and decided that was best. But many of my patients are self-referred. For those patients I have to hear their story, examine them, get appropriate imaging studies and blood tests, and make a treatment plan. That plan could be to refer them to another type of doctor, prescribe medications for that patient, or order a procedure to be done. I will also set a follow-up plan.
The patients who are referred to me rather than just sent to the hospital to have a procedure usually fall into two categories. 1) they have an issue that takes a lot of explaining for the patient and family and the referring doc wants me to do that and then set up the procedure, like a UFE, or 2) the referring doctor is not quite sure what I can do for the patient's problem and wants me to figure it out. A patient with cancer is a good example. The oncologist knows I have a variety of interventions I can perform that might help the patient and wants me to decide which is best.
The patients who are self referred, in 2022, are usually either women with fibroids or men with large prostates who have been told they need surgery and are looking for a non-surgical solution. Unfortunately, most OB/GYNs still do not tell their patients UFE is an option for fibroids, and almost no urologist will admit that PAE is a decent alternative to surgery for a big prostate.