Three prominent radiology groups have signed a statement condemning recent disparaging comments made about doctors of osteopathy.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging was the latest to underline its devotion to DOs, posting a news update on its website Thursday. Dozens of other organizations have signaled their support, including the American College of Radiology and Society of Interventional Radiology. Those involved said they are “deeply troubled” by the negative portrayal of such physicians in the media.
“As leading medical organizations that represent more than 800,000 physician members across 45 specialty societies, we stand together to combat these ill-informed mischaracterizations,” the Council of Medical Specialty Societies said in a statement posted Oct. 26. “We stand with our osteopathic physician colleagues and members, and together rise to meet our collective call to ensure the health of all Americans,” the groups added later.
The American Osteopathic Association recently detailed some of the transgressions in an update shared Wednesday. They’ve included disparaging remarks on both CNN and MSNBC earlier this month, targeting White House and Navy physician Sean Conley, DO, and an “offensive” advertisement from medical apparel retailer FIGS. In it, a female physician wearing a “DO” nametag is depicted reading an upside-down book titled “Medical Terminology for Dummies.”
AOA said in a separate announcement last week that FIGS has removed the ad and issued an apology, among other remedies, at the association’s urging.
In the CMSS statement of support, SNMMI and others emphasized that doctors of osteopathy complete post-graduate training and meet the same licensure requirements as their medical doctor counterparts.
“DOs and MDs take an oath to place the care and well-being of others before themselves, and their degrees do not alter that pledge or their qualifications to uphold it,” they wrote.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.