Internationally Recognized Parathyroid Surgeons Join Tampa General Hospital

Dr. Douglas E. Politz and Dr. José A. Lopez bring a combined 25 years of global expertise in parathyroid disease.

Tampa, FL (January 21, 2021) – Recognized as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Diabetes and Endocrinology by U.S. News & World Report for 2020-2021, Tampa General Hospital is committed to providing expertise and commitment to its patients.  Recently, Tampa General Hospital Medical Group hired two of the world’s most experienced parathyroid surgeons – Douglas E. Politz, MD, FACS, FACE and José A. Lopez, MD, FACS.

Over the past decade, Dr. Politz and Dr. Lopez have performed more than 13,000 parathyroid operations, more than any other two surgeons in the world. They have also contributed their expertise to the training of the five most experienced surgeons that followed them in the field. In addition, Drs. Politz and Lopez have examined well over 35,000 parathyroid glands combined in their careers and are co-authors of the largest study of parathyroid patients in medical history (over 20,000 patients).

“I am thrilled to welcome Drs. Politz and Lopez to the TGH team as part of our commitment to being the safest and most innovative health care system in America,” said John Couris, CEO and president of Tampa General Hospital. “Our hospital and our parathyroid surgeons are renowned for the highest cure rates for patients with this disease. The addition of Drs. Politz and Lopez will improve our patients’ quality of life. Their remarkable expertise will help us connect patients, no matter where they live, to world-class care for parathyroid disease.”

“We have dedicated our careers to helping patients with parathyroid disease, a problem that is largely underdiagnosed and underappreciated in the medical community. It is almost unheard of to accumulate this much expertise in such a relatively uncommon area. We are just entering the prime of our careers, and we have so much to offer our patients and colleagues,” said Drs. Politz and Lopez. “We look forward to making world-class care for this disease easily accessible for every patient and are delighted to be part of TGH, the premier institution in this field. No facility in the world comes close to the number of patients TGH has treated for this type of sophisticated surgery.”

Parathyroid disorders are characterized by abnormal functioning of the parathyroid glands, which regulate calcium levels in the blood. The disorders can affect people at any age but are most often seen in people over the age of 50.

The most common disorder of the parathyroid glands is called primary hyperparathyroidism, which is overactivity of one or more of the parathyroid glands. This is usually caused by a benign parathyroid tumor, or adenoma, that produces too much parathyroid hormone (PTH). A routine blood test can reveal parathyroid disorders such as this one.

Although parathyroid tumors are almost always benign (non-cancerous), if left untreated, they can lead to chronic fatigue, insomnia, memory loss, bone pain, kidney stones, cardiac arrhythmias, osteoporosis, and shortened life expectancy. Fortunately, primary hyperparathyroidism can be cured with a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure which these two world leaders have played an instrumental role in perfecting.

For more information or to complete a hyperparathyroidism screening form to qualify for a consultation, visit https://www.tgh.org/parathyroidscreening or call (813) 844-8335.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020-21 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.