Dr. David Feldstein talks about the benefits of being part of a large practice and how RP is helping shape the future of radiology.
Dr. David Feldstein is an interventional radiologist in Philadelphia/South Jersey, where he serves as practice president, previously section chief of interventional radiology, at Radiology Affiliates Imaging (RAI).
He grew up working at his father’s woodshop during summer breaks, and still loves building, creating and designing furniture in his spare time. He has translated these skills into a passion for medical device design and development. He also enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with his family, friends and two bulldogs.
We talked to Dr. Feldstein to learn more about the benefits of being part of a large practice and how RP is helping shape the future of radiology.
What inspired you to become a radiologist?
I took a non-traditional approach to radiology. I went to school for biomedical engineering, but I wasn’t heart set on attending medical school at that time. No one in my family is a physician, but my mother is a neonatal intensive care nurse, and she encouraged me to investigate a career in medicine. After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering, I began working as an advanced-level engineer at Johnson & Johnson, specifically in their cardiac stent division. During my time there, I interacted closely with many interventionalists. After hearing and experiencing second-hand their interactions with patients, I came to the realization that direct patient care was my passion, which ultimately directed my path to medical school.
What drew you to interventional radiology?
I knew I wanted to be procedural-based. I was initially considering interventional cardiology, given my past work experience. However, during medical school, I was exposed to the field of radiology and haven’t looked back since. Interventional radiology allows for cutting-edge, minimally invasive therapies and collaboration with nearly every other specialty in the hospital. We (radiologists) are essentially medical detectives and often the first to see and diagnose disease, which allows for early life-changing invention. This is what set my heart on radiology!
What excites you about RP?
Our group, RAI, joined RP a little more than four years ago. In this landscape, having the strength of a large nationwide practice behind you really makes a difference. I did not truly appreciate this at first, as I’m earlier in my career, but it truly makes a difference. You’re not just limited to your local practice. You have access to key opinion leaders in all specialties, including radiology business and radiology economics. You even have access to leaders advocating for radiology on the Hill in Washington. Whatever interests you, there’s an outlet. If you’re in a smaller private practice group, as we were, you’re very limited to what you have at your fingertips.
What does the future of radiology look like? What are some of RP’s unique features that will contribute to that?
We all know diagnostic studies are being performed faster and study volumes are increasing more than ever before, while at the same time the radiologist workforce is declining. RP is prioritizing innovative ways to allow radiologists to practice at top-performance levels and still focus on clinical work. Burnout is real, and it’s in all specialties, not just radiology. RP is working on solutions to allow us to focus more time on what we were trained to do: read images and perform procedures.
I look at AI technology like smart home technology. There are so many available platforms and so many different companies in the marketplace that it can be very overwhelming to select the proper one. If you are in a smaller to mid-sized radiology practice, you don’t have the luxury to thoroughly evaluate all platforms. You are essentially shooting in the dark, hoping you made the right decision for your practice. Having RP rigorously vet these AI algorithms by running them through tens of thousands of studies allows us radiologists to utilize the most robust AI software package available. I guarantee you won’t find this anywhere else. This is game-changing technology, and I couldn’t be happier to be involved with its growth and development.
Dr. David Feldstein (LinkedIn) earned his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine, where he also completed his residency in diagnostic radiology. He completed his fellowship in interventional radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He joined RP in 2019.
Radiology Partners, through its owned and affiliated practices, is a leading physician-led and physician-owned radiology practice in the U.S. Learn more about our mission, values and practice principles at RadPartners.com. For the latest news from RP, follow along on our blog and on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Interested in learning about career opportunities? Visit our careers page.
