From the Hill PAE goes to Washington O
n June 5, SIR, along with the Congressional Men’s Health Caucus, co-hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on
prostate health, highlighting the impact of prostate artery embolization (PAE). Championed by Rep. Donald Payne, Jr., D-N.J., Chair of the Congressional Men’s Health Caucus, the briefing followed Rep. Payne, Jr.’s resolution to support the designation of June 12–18, 2023, as National Men’s Health Week.
“The majority of American men avoid the preventative care necessary to prevent minor health issues from becoming major health problems,” said Rep. Payne. “But if we can raise awareness of the importance of early health screenings, we can promote more advanced treatments for early medical interventions, such as prostate artery embolization, to improve the lives of men nationwide.”
Prostate artery embolization is a solution for benign prostatic hyperplasia, a noncancerous enlargement of the
prostate gland and the most common benign condition found in men, impacting nearly 70% over age 60. The enlarged prostate leads to symptoms like urinary urgency, increased frequency, poor urinary flow and an inability to empty the bladder. If left untreated, this condition can lead to urinary retention, formation of stones in the urinary tract and compromised kidney function.
With PAE, IRs are able to reduce the blood supply to the prostate, thereby shrinking it.
“Millions of men avoid treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia because of the risks of surgery, including sexual side effects and leakage,” said Shivank Bhatia, MD, FSIR, who will serve as moderator for the session. “PAE avoids these risks while achieving long-term positive clinical outcomes.”
Watch the event by scanning the QR code.
12 IRQ | SUMMER 2023
“The biggest barrier to treatments like prostate artery embolization is public awareness,” said Alda L. Tam, MD, MBA, FSIR, SIR president. “Highlighting innovative, evidence-based treatments like this will help equip medical professionals with knowledge about the latest treatment advancements available to their patients so they can positively impact their lives.”
Dr. Bhatia and Bruce R. Kava, MD, Professor of Urology and Director of Men’s Health at the University of Miami Desai Sethi Urology Institute and President-elect of the American Society for Men’s Health, spoke to the audience, along with a patient whose benign prostatic hyperplasia was treated successfully with PAE.
Healthcare workforce shortage prompts legislative action There is mounting concern about the nation’s ongoing shortage of healthcare workers, and bills have been introduced in Congress to address various aspects of the shortage problem. In a joint letter to the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee, the American College of Radiology and Radiology Business Management Association cited a 2021 Association of American Medical Colleges report that the shortage of radiologists and radiology specialists will be as high as 35,000 by 2024. SIR submitted a letter addressing shortages of interventional radiologists.
The Resident Physician Shortage Act has been reintroduced, and SIR joined 80 organizations in a recent letter sent to Congress seeking enactment to increase graduate medical education training funds.
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