Smithtown Messenger Newspaper Article – Early Detection Saves Lives

This past March, Dr. David Kavesteen and Heart and Health Medical visited the Town of Smithtown to offer free Heart Health Screenings for Town of Smithtown Employees and family members. Below is a copy of the article, directly from the Smithtown Messenger.

[full_width]
[one_half]
smithtown-article-cover
[/one_half]
[one_half_last]
smithtown-article
[/one_half_last]
[/full_width]

Dr. David Kavesteen of Heart and Health – The Smithtown Messenger

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the old saying goes.

For the folks at Heart & Health Medical, they know the science behind their vision: early detection saves lives.

With lives – and potential healthcare costs in mind, the Town of Smithtown recently teamed with Dr. David Kavesteen and his staff to hold a well-attended heart screening event for town employees and their families. Keeping down healthcare costs is very important not only for the healthcare system but for the patients who have to go through it, utilizing software like hcc risk adjustment coding can help with reducing costs with unneeded tests and/or prescriptions.

Dr. Kavesteen, who is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Diseases and Nuclear Cardiology, has nearby offices in both Middle Island and North Babylon.

“I was introduced to the doctor through a mutual acquaintance,” explained Councilman Edward Wehrheim, who helped make the doctor’s offer to conduct a free screening a reality for the Town.

“It took a little time to arrange the logistics,” Wehrheim said, “but we worked with Town’s Personnel Director Eileen Tropea and the town employee union leader Kelly Brown to make it happen. I give accolades to both of them for their efforts.”

The event was held at the Paul Fitzpatrick Smithtown Landing Country Club and over 60 employees took advantages of the event.

“I took the test myself,” added Wehrheim. “So did [Town Clerk] Vinnie Puleo.”

The screening was actually a battery of non-invasive tests, including an EKG, as well as measurements of blood pressure, oxygen levels, and pulmonary function.

“It was easy and, as they said, non-invasive. It only took about fifteen minutes or so”, Wehrheim explained.

The real benefits came with the review of the results, he said.

Each participant in the screening received “a brief sit-down” and a review of the numbers.

“They were extremely informative and professional,” said the Councilman.

The screening was billed as “completely painless” and open to all employees and their family members 16 years of age and older. Registration was required through the town’s Personnel Department, but any employee that was unable to make the appointment on February 21 was afforded the opportunity to call Heart and Health directly to schedule a free screening.

“This was a great benefit to our employees for no charge,” said Wehrheim. “IT was ultimately also a great potential benefit for the taxpayers. A healthier employee translates into less outlay in healthcare costs for the town, and thus the taxpayers.”

“If there’s sufficient interest, we will absolutely do this again,” the Councilman promised.

Heart and Health

David E. Kavesteen, MD, FACC, FCCP is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Diseases and Nuclear Cardiology. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from SUNY Stony Brook.

The founder of Heart and Health pursued his passion for medicine at SUNY Health Science Center School of Medicine in Brooklyn and completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the prestigious New York University Medical Center. He continued his education in cardiovascular diseases and nuclear radiology, and completed his fellowship training at Maimonides Medical Center.

Dr. Kavesteen is the author of numerous medical articles and the recipient of several awards, including recognition in 2010 as “One of America’s Top Cardiologists” by the Consumer Research Council of America.