The Hospital for Endocrine Surgery is part of HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital and we participate in the Care Assure program. As part of this initiative, we work closely with other HCA Florida Healthcare hospitals across the state to identify endocrine tumors based on diagnostic tests performed at their emergency rooms (ERs) and outpatient clinics.
Why endocrine screening is needed
Many endocrine tumors are not diagnosed. As a result, you can suffer the effects of poorly regulated hormones from these glands for years, having a negative impact on how you feel and your overall health. Endocrine tumors can also lead to thyroid hormone issues and delayed cancer diagnoses.
However, many endocrine tumors are able to be seen on computerized tomography (CT) scans of the neck (for thyroid) or CT scans of the abdomen (for adrenal glands). Similarly, parathyroid tumors are often discovered by detecting high levels of calcium in the blood. The key is having these issues addressed by experts as quickly as possible.
This is exactly what the Care Assure program for endocrine tumor screening is designed to help address.
Our endocrine tumor screening program
Endocrine specialists on our medical staff helped develop the criteria to understand which thyroid and adrenal tumors, and what level of blood calcium need to have additional follow-up care. We did this by using current clinical guidelines published by the major endocrine societies and looking closely at established evidence-based norms in peer-reviewed medical literature.
As part of our dedication to your care, our goal is to have these endocrine tumor screening program criteria included in 48 of HCA Florida Healthcare's hospitals by July 1, 2021.