Feb. 18, 2009 - Tidewell Hospice Chief Medical Officer Stephen A. Leedy, MD FAAHPM; Joelle Angsten, MD; Diane Portman, MD and Karen Ray, MD each recently passed the new Hospice and Palliative Medicine Board examination to be certified in the subspecialty of hospice and palliative medicine.

Dr. Portman is one of only 22 anesthesiologists in the U.S., and Dr. Angsten is one of only 55 pediatricians in the U.S. to obtain this subspecialty certification.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine worked together to establish recognition for the subspecialty of hospice and palliative medicine within the American Board of Medical Specialties and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Physician candidates must have worked for at least two years caring for patients needing hospice and palliative medicine, and they must have previously attained primary board certification in fields such as family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics or anesthesiology. This board certification in the subspecialty of hospice and palliative care ensures a high level of medical expertise in this area.

Attaining this subspecialty certification is another way that Tidewell's dedicated team of medical experts continues to deepen their knowledge and skills for bringing compassionate comfort to patients through optimal pain and symptom management.