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About Us
GET TO KNOW YOUR DOCTOR - Dr. Robert Beitman's CV
Dr. Robert Beitman is a specialist in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Geriatrics. He also has a special interest in nutrition and the developmentally disabled. A graduate of New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Beitman did his premedical training in the basic sciences at Union College in upstate New York. After medical school, Dr. Beitman entered a residency program in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Veteran's Hospital. He has taken special training in pulmonary medicine at the Brompton Hospital in England, and studied medicine in Aarhaus, Denmark. Upon completion of his training in Internal Medicine, he trained in the field of digestive diseases - known as "gastroenterology." He trained at the Institute of Gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania - Presbyterian Hospital.
While teaching as an assistant instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Dr. Beitman was recruited by Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital to come as their first gastroenterologist and has been head of the department for fourteen (14) years. Having been raised at the shore in Connecticut, Dr. Beitman decided it would be nice to raise a family at the Jersey Shore.
Medical education is a life-long process. Dr. Beitman takes an average of 4 post graduate courses each year at major medical centers such as Harvard, UCLA, Thomas Jefferson University, the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, Rutgers, Yale, New York University and Columbia. Dr. Beitman is active in civic affairs. He served as an officer of the local unit of the American Cancer Society and has been as an officer of the Medical Society for nearly 20 years. He had written a weekly column in the Cape May County Herald and Lantern newspapers on preventative medicine, and was co-host of a television show on health affairs on WMGM TV 40 for over 12 years. He was an appointed member of the Cape May County Health Advisory Committee for more than a decade. Dr. Beitman is a contributing author to one of the major textbooks in the field of Gastroenterology as well as several other articles. In addition to his office, hospital and nursing home practices, Dr. Beitman is an internal medicine consultant to Woodbine Developmental Center . Since 1982, he has headed the Hospital's Pre-Medical College program, whereby students visit the different hospital departments and spend time with the doctor on rounds and in his office.
He is listed in the Digital City, Atlantic City Web Site as one of the premier doctors in the South Jersey area. He is also certified as a medical director of long term institutions. Currently, he has several decades of experience as a medical director of nursing and rehabilitation centers.
WHAT IS AN INTERNIST/GASTROENTEROLOGIST
You have selected a board-certified internist. This means your doctor is a trained specialist in taking care of adult problems. People sometimes confuse the term "internist" with that of "intern." An internist is not an intern. An intern is the name for a medical student's 1st year of post-graduate hospital training. An"internist" is a fully trained physician who elects to continue his education for an additional two years after the internship. This period is called a "residency," focusing upon the specialized study of the internal organs and their diseases. Fields of the study include heart, kidney disease, brain and blood disorders, muscle and joint disorders, metabolic disorders, lung disease, cancer, allergy, infectious diseases, geriatrics.
In addition to serving as an Internist, Dr. Beitman is also a gastroenterolgist, meaning he has taken two additional years of training. He is specially trained in the diagnostic procedures, detection and treatments of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, colon and rectum. Examples of a few of the disorders commonly treated are: hemorrhoids, polyps, Crohn's disease, obesity, ulcers, Hepatitis, Hepatitis C, heartburn, gallbladder disease, cancers of the stomach, liver, pancreas, colon and intestines, ulcerative colitis, diarrhea, constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, eating and swallowing disorders. He has performed more than 26,000 endoscopic procedures including: endoscopies, colonoscopies, flexible sigmoidoscopies, liver biopsies, small bowel biopsies, sclerotherapy, dilation of the esophagus, exploration of the pancreatic and biliary ducts (ERCP), feeding tube placements and polypectomy.
WHAT IS A GERIATRICIAN
Dr. Beitman is the first board-certified geriatrician in Cape May County and one of the few in the United States . Geriatrics refers to the specialized field of medical knowledge necessary to optimally care for those aged 60 and over. Geriatrics has recently become recognized as a distinct specialty. Geriatric patients can have medical problems and different physical reactions to medications and treatments than younger persons. The geriatrician is aware of this and knows how to: modify medications to suit the body's changing abilities and watch out for dangerous drug interactions. Also to prepare you to avoid nutritional and vitamin deficiencies. He can diagnose diseases that tend to present differently, and protect you against your increased risk of infection. Also to help you manage such common problems such as: constipation, osteoporosis, arthritis, dizziness, gait problems, indigestion, memory changes, impotence, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
CONSULTATIONS
Your physician has asked you to see Dr. Beitman because (s)he feels you may benefit from specialty training. To perform a consultation Dr. Beitman will review the medical history, study the results of tests you have brought with you, and do a physical. He will then either prepare his own opinion or suggest additional tests which may been needed to make a diagnosis. Dr. Beitman will communicate his recommendations to your doctor. In most cases your referring doctor will be able to implement the recommended treatment. In some cases, it may also prove helpful to see Dr. Beitman periodically for ongoing specialized care of your problem. In the event of finding a digestive cancer or polyps, you will need to return to Dr. Beitman for regular monitoring to make sure the cancer, polyp, or ulcer does not return.
SECOND OPINIONS
Many patients and some insurance companies require a second opinion before having surgery or embarking upon major treatment. In our office a second opinion consultation involves an extended visit with the doctor during which he will review the tests you've had to date and do a history check and physical. Be sure to bring copies of any test and x-ray reports. It is your decision whether you want a report sent to your doctor or if you want the results of your visit kept confidential.
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