NEW YORK, May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading medical experts reflected on the most significant innovations and medical breakthroughs over the past two decades, and made bold predictions about the future of healthcare as part of special coverage released today commemorating Medscape's 20^th anniversary. Medscape, WebMD's site for healthcare professionals, is the leading source of clinical news, health information, point-of-care tools and medical education throughout the world.  Visit www.medscape.com/20Years for full anniversary coverage, including slideshows, videos, blogs and features.

"For 20 years, Medscape has provided medical news, clinical reference, point-of-care tools and medical education to help healthcare professionals keep current in the rapidly changing healthcare landscape. To celebrate this milestone, it seemed fitting to ask the Medscape community about just how far the practice of medicine has evolved, and where it is headed," said Steve Zatz, president, WebMD. "As healthcare continues to undergo significant transformational changes, Medscape will be there every step of the way."

Editorial highlights include:

20 Years Down and What's In Store for the Next 20?  Dr. Eric Topol, a leading authority in the fields of genomics and digital medicine, who serves as both Editor-in-Chief of Medscape and Chief Academic Officer of Scripps Health, reflected on a time when robotic surgery was in its infancy and telemedicine was yet to be adopted. He shared his predictions in his letter to readers about what the next two decades of medicine have in store.  Selected quotes:

• "One thing's for sure: 20 years from now, and hopefully sooner, we won't be saying 'precision medicine,' 'personalized medicine,' 'digital medicine' and 'genomic medicine.' It'll just be medicine. And Medscape will be there to cover it!"
• "I do think we're in for some radical improvements in preventing conditions and diseases that have "attack" characteristics — like heart attacks, strokes, seizures, asthma, and autoimmune diseases."

— Dr. Eric Topol, Editor-in-Chief of Medscape and Chief Academic Officer of Scripps Health

Cardiology 1995: The Rise of Stents and Statins. Twenty years ago, cardiologists were grappling with many of the same issues that perplex doctors today — but with earlier iterations of devices and drugs: angioplasty vs. surgery, evolving stent designs, and identifying the right patient for a statin, to name a few. Medscape reviewed the cardiovascular literature from 1995 and canvassed experts who reflected on several major developments in cardiology. Selected quotes:

• "The advances we've seen in technology, technique, imaging, and pharmacotherapy have been nothing short of amazing." — Dr. Gregg Stone, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
•  "It has been an amazing 20 years. Mortality rates have steadily fallen with widespread usage of primary and secondary prevention strategies." — Dr. Steven Nissen, Chairman of the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic's Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute, Cleveland, Ohio

Two Decades of Lung Cancer Advances.  In his more than 30 years of treating patients with lung cancer, Dr. Mark G. Kris, Memorial Sloan Kettering Chair in Thoracic Oncology, has witnessed remarkable advancements in lung cancer care and outcomes. In his article for Medscape, Dr. Kris described the three most influential advances of the last 20 years, what they mean for patients and caregivers, and his hopes for the future of targeted lung cancer therapies.  Selected quotes:

• "This has been an extraordinary time. Where [formerly] every patient was hospitalized just to receive treatment, I now have many, many patients in my practice, under my care for years, who have never been hospitalized at all."
• "The most striking thing now is the number of therapies that we have. At one time there were few options for treatment. That has changed with the discovery of many new drugs and classes of drugs over the past 20 years—in particular, taxanes and pemetrexed."

— Dr. Mark G. Kris, Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College; Attending Thoracic Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York

The Past Two Decades Have Brought Major Changes in Diabetes. Medscape explored the past 20 years by surveying experts in diabetes who described the numerous incremental developments that have also remarkably improved the prognosis and quality of life for patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.  Selected quotes:

• "Twenty years ago, every minute of every day there were patients in my lobby with below the knee amputations, Seeing Eye dogs or white canes.  The prognosis for a normal life span free of disabling complications I think is excellent for people living with diabetes today."  — Dr. John Buse, Professor of Medicine, Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Research, and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill
• "My prejudice is that the biggest change in diabetes the last 20 years has been the final acceptance that diabetes is a collaborative disease rather than a disease where you just tell people what to do." — Dr. Charles Clark, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana

Noteworthy Emergency Medicine Advancements: A 20-Year Review. From ultrasounds to smartphone apps, telemedicine to freestanding emergency departments, the emergency medicine specialty has benefitted significantly from mobile and video innovation to improve patient access to urgent care, according an article by Dr. Robert D. Glatter, emergency physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York, Medscape emergency medicine advisor and contributing writer.  Selected quotes:

• "The competition for patients, who now have options beyond the traditional [emergency department] located within a hospital, has the potential to force change in how hospitals market themselves to patients for emergency care."
• "The ability to communicate with practitioners on such social media platforms as Twitter, as part of the FOAM (Free Open Access Meducation) movement, allows the instant exchange of ideas and information, which has the potential to make a positive impact on patient care and management."

— Dr. Robert D. Glatter, emergency physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York, Medscape emergency medicine advisor and contributing writer

To stay informed on the latest health news and information, and to view more special coverage of the 20 Years of Medscape, visit http://www.medscape.com.

Click here to view the interactive Medscape timeline.

About WebMD and Medscape

WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health-focused publications.

The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, MedicineNet, eMedicineHealth, RxList, Medscape Education and other owned WebMD sites.

Medscape is the leading source of clinical news, health information and point-of-care tools for healthcare professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free C.M.E. and C.E. courses and other educational programs for physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

WebMD®, Medscape®, CME Circle®, Medpulse®, eMedicine®, MedicineNet®, theheart.org® and RxList® are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.

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SOURCE Medscape