Most patients have heard the phrase ‘Board certified’ or have heard of ‘Board certification’ when they arrive at their doctor’s office, but do they really know what it means.  “Board Certified” means that a doctor has gone through the voluntary process with the American Board of Medical Specialties that allows them to become board certified.  This process goes above and beyond the duty of becoming medically licensed.  Board certification demonstrates the doctor’s expertise in a particular specialty or subspecialty of medical practice.  Besides having board certification, a doctor will attain a Gold Star which means that the physician is committed to consistently achieving great outcomes with their patients.  Dr. Belizion from Minimally Invasive Colon and Rectal Surgery of South Florida is one of those doctors that is committed to the highest standards of patient care.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is a non-profit physician led organization for 24 of the 26 medical specialty boards in the United States of America.  Almost one million doctors have voluntarily achieved certification by one or more of the specialty boards.  The ABMS was set up in 1933 and works closely with the various specialty boards in order to have the greatest standards for evaluating physician specialists.  The ABMS was set up with the purpose of supervising examinations that would test physicians and would assure the public of the physician’s specialty qualifications.

This purpose still holds true today.  Many patients still choose their physician because they have board certification.  Looking for a doctor that is board certified or has a Gold Star is a great way to measure the physician’s experience and skills in their expertise.  It is an easy way to know that your doctor has gone above and beyond simply getting a medical license.

To become board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties, physicians must undergo an intense process of testing and go through many peer evaluations.  These processes are designed and directed by specialists in the specific area of medicine.  Over the years the ABMS has established a program that requires physicians to become recertified, every six to ten years.  This program was initiated in the hopes that more physicians would pursue continuing education and examination in order to be as current as possible in their specialty.  In 2006 a new gold standard was adopted to ensure proof of continuing education in between recertification testing.

Physicians of many different specialties go through the process of becoming board certified.  Some of these specialties include surgery, radiology, psychiatry, neurology, plastic surgery, pediatrics, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, medical genetics, family, internal, or emergency medicine, and dermatology.  There are more many specialties as well.  The American Board of Emergency Medicine was the latest ABMS member board to be approved in 1979.

Dr. Belizon specializes in minimally invasive surgery on the colon, rectal, gallbladder, diverticulitis, and hemorrhoids surgery. Please visit his website at www.floridacolonandrectaldoctors.com, for more information or to schedule a check-up.

It can be difficult to identify a family history of colon cancer and to determine an individual’s risk for developing the disease.  To make a proper evaluation, doctors must have a complete and accurate family history.  However, a patient may be unaware of a family history of the disease.   Lack of communication with family members, premature deaths, extended families and more, can prevent us from knowing our full family history.

Also, some family members may just carry the genetic predisposition but may never develop it or had developed it before they passed away.  Getting a full family history is important, but sometimes hard to establish.  The closer an affected relation is to the patient, the higher the chance of inheriting.  This means parents, grandparents, parents siblings (aunt and uncles) and the patient’s own siblings, should be evaluated for any existing health conditions or predisposition for cancers, including colorectal cancer.  More often than not, a patient knows if a close family member has had the disease, because it is a devastating disease that affects most family members around them.  It would be hard to hide a disease of this magnitude.  The problem occurs when family members are estranged or twice removed in the family tree.

Colon cancer treatment begins with a Colonoscopy.  This procedure can detect benign or malignant polyps in the rectum and colon.  Benign polyps can develop into cancer and can be removed right then and there, during the Colonoscopy procedure.  A colon free of polyps lowers the risk of developing the disease.  It is recommended that by age 50 a first Colonoscopy is performed, but for those at higher risk, the procedure should be performed at a much younger age.  Removal of benign polyps during this procedure is minimally invasive colon surgery.

For those where malignant polyps are found, colon rectal surgery is recommended to remove the polyps and any affected surrounding tissue.  Before this is done, the patient is evaluated for any other primary cancers that may be present through an MRI or CT Scan.  A predisposition in a patient for colorectal cancer may also include a predisposition to other cancers such as endometrial cancer.  Predisposed patients are at risk of developing two primary cancers which could be two primary colon cancers or one primary colon cancer and one primary cancer elsewhere in the body such as the lungs or bones.

Prevention is always the best treatment and for those with a predisposition to the disease, by having two or more family members affected, should have a Colonoscopy for early detection.  There are other tests that can be given, when patients with affected family members are being evaluated.  Catching the disease before it starts or at an early stage, provides a positive diagnosis.  left undetected, is one of the top killers in the United States.

Make an a appointment today with Doctor Belizon at Minimally Invasive Colon & Rectal Surgery of South Florida for a check-up or any questions relating to colon treatments. Call anytime at  561-381-5991.