Our Unique Approach
Most patients learn that they have a thyroid nodule, high calcium, or thyroid cancer by talking to their primary care doctor or endocrinologist. Once they have seen this person, there is usually a delay while imaging and testing is completed before you see the person who will actually treat the problem. At the Russell Center, we work to see you quickly. We do not require a referral at this time. Give us a call or follow the link above and we will be happy to discuss the process. Once you have been seen, we also try to perform your treatment as quickly as possible, and can often perform surgery within a few weeks of seeing you. For out of town patients or those who prefer, we will often schedule a consultation with plans for surgery to be completed the same week.
Before your appointment, we will work with you to make sure that we have all of your existing information and necessary medical records. Our team will review this so that we have an idea of what is happening with your health before we meet you in person. On the day of the visit, Dr Russell will review those records with you, perform a physical exam, evaluate your vocal cords, and do a focused ultrasound during the visit. Then, we use all of this information and your personal goals of care to decide together what your treatment options are.
Depending on your treatment plan, your procedure may be performed in one of several locations. For thermal ablation procedures such as RFA, we perform them in our own office. For outpatient surgeries, we partner with award winning surgery centers and experienced anesthesiologists, such as at the Johns Hopkins Greenspring Station or the Howard County Ambulatory Surgery Center. For longer surgeries or patients who require an overnight stay, we generally operate at The Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center.
Dr Russell and the team are with you in every step of your journey. Your questions will be answered directly by our team. Post-operatively, you can have confidence in knowing that you will have direct access to the surgeon rather than relying on a call center. Bespoke thyroid and parathyroid care that fits your personal goals.