Classical hematologists treat conditions such as iron deficiency anemia, and they are expert at identifying and managing life-threatening conditions such as cold agglutinin disease, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, acquired hemophilia, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Systems-based classical hematologists work within a hospital or health care system on issues such as improving anticoagulation management and peri-operative patient blood management. classical hematology is one of the cognitive fields that does not generate revenue by giving chemotherapy or performing procedures. For this reason, classical hematologists face lower reimbursement than their counterparts practicing malignant hematology or oncology. They see fewer trainees interested in joining their ranks, likely due to the lower reimbursement and the low number of fellowship programs or placement opportunities - something ASH is currently working to address through its new Hematology-Focused Fellowship Training Program. And because there are fewer people entering this field, wait times for an appointment are often long, making it difficult for patients to access timely care.

 

In this session, panelists will explore solutions to the lack of classical hematologists, focusing on three main topics: How to do classical hematology without a hematologist, compensation models in classical hematology, and how to get young hematologists interested in classical hematology.