Physician Support Services
There is a crisis in metabolic medicine in the US and abroad. There are simply not enough metabolic clinicians to address the clinical demand of patients with proven and suspected inborn errors of metabolism. In fact, it is estimated that there are only about 100 practicing biochemical geneticists in this country (not including certified lab professionals and researchers). From a clinical perspective, it is believed that about 50% of the metabolic clinics on this continent (large and small) are managed by providers with no formal training in metabolic disease. Add to that the fact that over 1,200 new cases are identified by newborn screening each year, putting pressure on existing clinics in all states of the union.
VMP is proud to offer the Physician Support Service, providing diagnosis and management assistance to clinicians through the use of simple & secure technology. Scheduled and/or immediate access with 24/7 back-up for emergency cases are provided, and customized to the needs of the client or clinical program. This kind of service can benefit genetic or metabolic clinics, neonatal ICUs, newborn screening follow-up programs, and other specialty clinics. Also, this service assists clinical programs during faculty absences and vacations, and during position vacancies.
Consultations can include any combination of the following options, as appropriate for the case and the needs of the treating clinician:
- A summary of the case from a metabolic perspective, with a focus on the pertinent issues
- A differential diagnosis when the diagnosis is not known, or a list of possible causes of concern to account for problems in known metabolic cases
- Assistance with diagnostic or investigative testing
- A prioritized treatment plan
- A plan for follow-up based on the outcome of testing or response to intervention
- A discussion of relevant new advances as appropriate to the case
Call VMP Genetics and learn how “telemetabolics” can serve your program’s clinical and workforce needs.
It was good working with you the last weekend. It was pretty busy. Especially Saturday. Found your advice and recommendation very helpful and I was always able to reach you.
Dr B
Clinical Genetics
You helped save my program! One of my goals was to keep my practice running until I can get more metabolic help, so having time off call while you provide coverage is important for me. I also needed to have a clear head to manage the complex cases that come in, so again, time off helped avoid burnout. I feel comfortable when you are providing call for X. He has a good understanding of metabolic genetics and has your help for complex cases.
Dr B
Chair of Genetics