On Thursday May 14, Steven Schlossberg, MD, MBA (a practicing urologist from Norfolk, VA) testified on behalf of the Alliance of Specialty Medicine at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) hearing “Delivery Reform: The Roles of Primary and Specialty Care in Innovative New Delivery Models.”

Dr. Schlossberg discussed the need for health reform to support effective partnerships between specialty care and primary care that support high quality, cost effective, patient centered care. He explained that Congress first must address the underlying physician payment problem, because the health care delivery system cannot truly be reformed without a long-term solution to the flawed Medicare payment formula.

Other issues discussed were physician workforce, appropriate management of chronic diseases, quality and health information technology (HIT).

In discussing the value of specialty physicians and their impact on health outcomes, Dr. Schlossberg highlighted the recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article "Association of Physician Certification and Outcomes Among Patients Receviing an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator" (Curtis J.P., Luebbert J.J., Wang Y., et al, JAMA. 2009;301(16):1661-1670)* which directly relates subspecialty training to improved patient outcomes. The study confirms that specialized training enables physicians to lower risk of complications and select the most appropriate treatment for the patient’s unique needs.

Download Dr. Schlossberg’s testimony (PDF,40K)

You may watch the hearing or review testimony from the other witnesses on the Senate HELP Committee's website .

*In response to the JAMA article, the Society reiterated its position on the positive correlation between electrophysiology certification and improved outcomes following ICD implantation. Read Heart Rhythm Society statement »