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Stethoscopes are great but require a system that enables doctor-patient contact

Dr. W. Reid Thompson's approach to the stethoscope described in The Sun ("Hopkins' medical students learn to use their stethoscopes," Feb. 19), is refreshing. Stethoscope auscultation of heart and lungs still yields important clinical information, as do inexpensive echocardiogram and other diagnostic exams.

But why not make sure the least expensive approach, with the stethoscope, is thoroughly taught again in medical school? Your article makes an excellent point in noting we don't compensate physicians much for their actual time with patients. Providing diagnostic tests is how some doctors deal with that reality.

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Diagnostic tests have added a great deal of value in medicine, but we must also pay physicians appropriately for their time with patients, including applying the stethoscope during screening examinations. What the nation needs is a system that measures and rewards the best patient outcomes to free physicians to find the right balance between listening and employing technology.

Dr. Jack Lewin,Washington, D.C.

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The writer is chief executive officer of the American College of Cardiology.

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