Cardiometabolic Health: The Future of Diabetes Care or an Unnecessary Diversion?

While politics in medicine may seem like a new trend in 2020. Some clinicians will tell you bluntly, there are a lot of politics going on in medicine. One of the areas where lines have been blurred the most in recent memory is the field of diabetes care.

In the year 2000, the thought of somebody besides an endocrinologist taking lead in the treatment of diabetes might have been a laughable notion, but now it is a serious discussion with input from a slew of parties. While everyone has their own opinion, there are multiple facts to account for when discussing the topic.

As it stands, endocrinologists are in short supply, they treat dozens of conditions, and the number of patients with diabetes is growing. Just based on this alone, some would suggest an intervention, such as the creation of a new subspecialty, is already overdue. However, many endocrinologists would argue they are still the best equipped to treat these patients and arguing for the creation of a cardiometabolic subspecialty only detracts from endocrinology as a field.

In this 3-part feature series, we attempt to tackle to topic from the perspective of the 3 specialists most often to be included in the conversation: an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, and an internal medicine practitioner. With their own unique viewpoints, each approaches the discussion from the outlook of specialists in their field and whether the creation of a cardiometabolic subspecialty would help in the management of these patients.

Cardiometabolic Health Fellowships: The Answer or Part of the Problem?

Gregory Weiss, MD: Has the Time Come for a Cardiometabolic Subspecialty?

Simon Murray, MD: Who Should Be Treating Patients with Diabetes?