Heather Porter, Author at Spectrum Healthcare Partners

Digital Pathology and Live Microscopy: Improving Population Health in Maine

Posted on November 12, 2025 (October 17, 2025)

Exceptional patient care has been a core focus of Spectrum Healthcare Partners since the beginning. Digital pathology (the process of converting traditional glass slides of tissue samples into high-resolution digital images) and live microscopy (the technique of observing living cells and their processes in real-time) are important to this mission. Through collaborations with Central Maine […]

Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines and Patient-Centered Care in Women’s Imaging

Posted on October 1, 2025 (September 30, 2025)

In April 2024, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its breast cancer screening guidelines. The new recommendations suggest that women with normal risk begin screening at age 40 and continue through age 74. The previous guidelines recommended that women start screening between the ages of 40 and 50. “The radiology world and cancer world […]

Spectrum Healthcare Partners Honored by AMA for Commitment to Well-Being of Physicians

Posted on September 3, 2025 (September 3, 2025)

Spectrum Healthcare Partners has earned national recognition in 2025 from the American Medical Association (AMA) as a Joy in Medicine® organization. The prestigious recognition from the country’s leading physician’s association honors health systems, hospitals, and medical groups that prioritize proven methods to reduce burnout and enhance the professional fulfillment of doctors that comes from patient […]

Transforming Radiology Workflows: A New Model for Efficiency and Care

Posted on August 19, 2025 (October 7, 2025)

Radiology has been a core service line at Spectrum Healthcare Partners since our founding in 1996. Yet even with this specialty split into two geographic divisions, the Northern Radiology division receives referrals from a 250-mile territory that encompasses five counties across central and northern Maine. Many of Spectrum’s board-certified radiologists have training in a diverse […]

Coastal Anesthesiology Division: Tailored Care for Maine’s Communities

Posted on June 10, 2025 (June 10, 2025)

The Spectrum Healthcare Partners Coastal Anesthesiology division brings together more than 25 experienced anesthesiologists to provide comprehensive coverage for community hospitals and surgery centers in southern Maine. “Previously, about 60 doctors handled the needs of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, community hospitals, and daytime surgery centers,” says Byron Hathcock, MD, Spectrum anesthesiologist and chief of anesthesiology […]

Advancing Radiation Therapy: Shorter Courses for Breast Cancer Patients

Posted on May 9, 2025

Advancing Radiation Therapy: Shorter Courses for Breast Cancer Patients Spectrum Healthcare Partners has always valued research that advances treatment options and improves the quality of life for patients. Recently, one of Spectrum’s radiation oncology physicians co-authored a study that could significantly improve the quality of life for many breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. Radiation […]

Multispecialty Collaboration Advances Cardiac Care in Maine

Posted on April 15, 2025

Multispecialty Collaboration Advances Cardiac Care in Maine Meeting the Challenges of Complex Cardiac Care MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland treats more cardiac surgical patients than any other institution in northern New England, with Spectrum Healthcare Partners’ Southern Anesthesiology division playing a vital role in providing essential care. “We have seen a steady rise in the […]

Low-Dose Radiation Treatment Offers Hope for Osteoarthritis Patients

Posted on March 10, 2025

Osteoarthritis affects more than 32.5 million Americans, making it the most common form of arthritis in the United States. For approximately one in seven adults, this degenerative joint condition can mean living with persistent pain and stiffness that significantly impacts daily life. This chronic condition affects joints throughout the body, including: Upper body: shoulders, elbows, […]

Spectrum Rolling Out Digital Pathology Services

Posted on December 23, 2024 (January 6, 2025)

Interview with Bilal Ahmad, MD, Chair of Spectrum’s Digital Pathology Innovation and Compliance Committee, featured in the December 2024 issue of Laboratory Economics. Where does Spectrum stand in its rollout of digital pathology for clinical diagnostics? Our first whole slide imaging hospital client, Central Maine Medical Center (Lewiston, ME), installed its first high throughput scanner […]

Expanding Our Global Healthcare Footprint

Posted on December 3, 2024 (December 10, 2024)

A trip to Uganda sheds light on Spectrum’s worldwide mission to provide equitable care. With a shared commitment to improve the health of all populations in our global community, pathologist Emily Meserve, MD, MPH, and anesthesiologist Jonathan Meserve, MD, packed up their kids and headed to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. As managing director of Spectrum […]

Author: Heather Porter

Posts by Heather Porter