(image courtesy of teachersparadise.com)
FACC: the Fellows of the American College of Cardiology.
Cardiologists in the United States have their own professional and standards group and it’s called the American College of Cardiology. The organization publishes a journal, holds conferences, establishes standards, and all the other great things that these kinds of professional organizations do.
That’s the good news.
However, as a non-doctor, non-scientist, self-educated about cardiology person, I sometimes find myself scratching my head in bewilderment at the incompetence, ignorance, and/or complacency of cardiologists I’ve come across in my cardiac-related travails.
Now, I am the first one to say that I’ve met some great cardiologists, people of intelligence, integrity, professional competence, and commitment to patient care. Fact is, I owe my life to some of these people. These are the doctors who embody the best principles and practices of the American College of Cardiology. At the time of my heart attack, I was mesmerized by the technology, capabilities, procedures, and drugs that these doctors were able to bring to bear on my problem. They were gods. In fact, I’d likely be dead now without them. They must be gods.
There have been other cardiologists, however, who impress me less. Some examples:
- a cardiologist who told me that I knew more about lipoproteins than he did when I knew next to nothing
- another cardiologist who set me up to take a tread mill after my heart attack at 43 years old when I couldn’t walk to the bathroom without angina symptoms
- a cardiologist who is against CT Heart Scans (for Calcium Scoring) because he says they don’t cost justify themselves “for the system”
- the FACC doctors of the American Heart Association allowing the makers of Cocoa Puffs to put it’s Heart CheckMark endorsement on the package
- and I could and will go on…
Here’s a general principle that I find useful for making a judgment about whether I should really trust my fate to some doctor. I’m a layperson. I’m not a doctor myself, nor am I a scientist. So, if in discussion with a doctor, I can detect some fundamental flaw in what they’re saying, then I know I’m in trouble.
Perhaps a good shorthand way to refer to the cardiologists who are potentially dangerous to your health is to refer to them as “those FACCing doctors”. In this case, FACC is properly used as an adjective.
At any rate, in this post, I mostly wanted to point out that no two cardiologists’ opinions are of equal value. I have found it useful to think of the varying quality of opinion coming from cardiologists in terms of the Parts of Speech. There are “noun sorts of cardiologists” and you gotta’ pay attention to these types. These are the types that represent the highest ideals of patient care with a eye toward ensuring that their patient practice takes into account the latest and greatest therapies.
And then there are “adjective sorts of cardiologists” (as in “those FACCing cardiologists”) and if you pay attention to them then, well, hmm… you’re FACCed.
See, it’s a verb too.
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A few hours later…
I wrote this attempt at a little humor and an introduction to what FACC is and then got cold feet about posting it. Too harsh. My wife hasn’t read it yet but, when she does, that’s what she’ll say: “Too harsh and in bad taste.”
And then I read Dr. Davis’ post today AFTER I had finished writing mine. After that I thought I’d follow his lead and the slogan most famously associated with his city and “go for the gusto.”
November 10th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
[…] may have thought my last post about “FACCing doctors” to be in poor […]
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:57 am
[…] Blanchet has been determined for a while not to be outplayed in his patient care by, well, a bunch of FACCers. And in that forum thread he wasn’t going to sit back and be told he ought to let some of his […]
November 27th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
[…] suddenly I feel a need to kick a FACCing […]