Well, the Snooze has announced the arrival of two new radiologists. Emphasis on 'new'. The first, LUCHO LOISEAU ROSSMAN has 
been practicing for three years, after an eleven month fellowship. You wonder how much of that was as an assistant professor?
MICHAEL SCOTT ALLEN, the second radiologist, has practiced for 18 years, with only a small misunderstanding on his renewal--delinquent/non-payment--and an 'active-not-in-practice' during 2002. Maybe it was during his mini-fellowships....(the information on Hopkins and Emory has mini-fellowships listed from less than a week to three months....) Worldwide Imaging sounds like a radiologist reading from his home in a bathrobe...with little to no patient contact.
One good thing, he ought to be able to keep up with dictation! Hopefully he can get past the generalization trap of the on-call services and make definitive statements.
But, here is the story, you be the judge:
A (64) slice of life
Staff reports
Special to The Paris News
Published April 23, 2008
Two board-certified, fellowship-trained radiologists — Michael Scott Allen, M.D. and Lucho Rossman, M.D — are new additions to the Paris medical center.
Their arrival in the community coincides with the arrival of a Toshiba Aquilion 64 Slice CT Scanner on the North Campus where work continues on new cardiology facilities.
The Toshiba Aquilion can perform a whole body trauma in ten seconds, more than twice as fast as conventional multi-slice CT scanners. This speed is especially helpful in shortening breath holds for geriatric patients, patients who are on ventilators and pediatric patients.
In a single rotation, the scanner creates 64 high-resolution anatomical image “slices” as thin as a credit card. These images are combined to form a three-dimensional view of the patient's anatomy for the physicians at Paris Regional Medical Center to analyze. From these images, physicians can view such things as blockages in the coronary arteries, as well as the motion and pumping action of a patient's heart.
Both Allen and Rossman bring extensive experience and knowledge to the hospital’s radiology department, Paris Regional Medical Center CEO Chris Dux said.
“We are thrilled to have them here,” Dux said.
Allen, who is to serve as Medical Director of Radiology, specializes in neuroradiology, muscle skeletal radiology, virtual colonoscopies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Coronary Computed Tomography Angiograms (Coronary CTA). He joins the staff from a private practice at Worldwide Imaging Technologies in the Dallas area.
Allen received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and fulfilled his residency at the University of Missouri Medical Center. He has completed mini-fellowships at Emory University, New York University, University of California at San Francisco and Johns Hopkins University.
“Paris Regional Medical Center made me feel at home right away. It has a great group of physicians and the best radiology department that I’ve ever worked in,” Allen said. “I am honored to be part of such a top-notch organization.”
Rossman, the area’s only fellowship-trained interventional radiologist, joins the staff after most recently serving as assistant professor of Vascular Interventional Radiology at the University of Texas at Houston and as a clinical interventional radiologist at Memorial Hermann Hospital and Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital in Houston.
He graduated from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and performed his residency and internship at the University of Texas at Houston. He completed a fellowship in vascular interventional radiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“I have been impressed with the significant investment Paris Regional Medical Center has made in the latest diagnostic and interventional radiology equipment,” Rossman said.
“What we have here compares favorably to what is available in most major cities — like Dallas and Houston — and far beyond what you would normally find in a community this size,” he said.
What is a Radiologist?
Nearly all physicians examine patients, obtain medical histories, diagnose illnesses or prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury or disease.
Generally, a radiologist is different from other physicians because he or she diagnoses diseases by obtaining and interpreting medical images. Some images are obtained by using X-rays or radioactive substances, others by means of sound waves or the body’s natural magnetism.
A radiologist correlates medical image findings with other examinations and tests, recommends further examinations or treatments and confers with the referring physician. Radiologists also treat some diseases by means of radiation (radiation oncology) or minimally invasive, image-guided surgery (interventional radiology).
It's back in the hands of the judge, again. Arguments have been made, answered, and now it's under consideration.
My contention is that it is a SLAPP suit, but Texas has no provisions against such suits. What is a SLAPP?
Generally, a "SLAPP" is a (1) civil complaint or counterclaim;What is the harm in a SLAPP? Again, it curtails free speech, unless you have the money and time to fight it. While there should be an accountability factor, it shouldn't be dependent on one's bank account...and how much justice you can buy.(2) filed against individuals or organizations; (3) arising from their communications to government or speech on an issue of public interest or concern. SLAPPs are often brought by corporations, real estate developers, government officials and others against individuals and community groups who oppose them on issues of public concern. SLAPP filers frequently use lawsuits based on ordinary civil claims such as defamation, conspiracy, malicious prosecution, nuisance, interference with contract and/or economic advantage, as a means of transforming public debate into lawsuits.
Most SLAPPs are ultimately legally unsuccessful. While most SLAPPs lose in court, they "succeed" in the public arena. This is because defending a SLAPP, even when the legal defense is strong, requires a substantial investment of money, time, and resources. The resulting effect is a "chill" on public participation in, and open debate on, important public issues. This "chilling" effect is not limited to the SLAPP target(s): fearful of being the target of future litigation, others refrain from speaking on, or participating in, issues of public concern.
