When Should I Come to the doctor's office and when should I go to the ER?

There are a number of concerns that can be addressed in our office without having to go to the ER.   Common examples of problems that can be treated in our office include:  

- Sore throats (e.g. symptoms of Strep Throat) and earaches
- Common skin infections
- Flu Symptoms, inluding dehydration, diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea/vomiting
- Rashes or insect bites
- High Blood Pressure
- Mild Asthma
- Minor Cuts & Burns
- Sprains
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Wellness Visits

What Should Be Treated in the ER:

- Head Injury
- Broken bones
- Coughing/Vomiting blood
- Chest Pain
- Difficulty speaking
- Major Trama
- Seizures
- Severe abdominal pain, cuts & burns, headaches or breathing difficulties
- Suspected Stroke
- Poisoning
- Suicidal Feelings

Health Maintenance: Annual Wellness Visits

Good health is not an accident. Annual Wellness Visits - which may or may not include a routine physical - should always be part of your preventive care.  A yearly office visit allows us to spend time planning for your health. If you haven't had yours yet, please schedule it now.

Prevention is the best medicine. Your Annual Wellness Visit will focus on cancer prevention,  cardiovascular screening, immunization, bone density screenings, and medication reviews.  Management of disease will focus on diet, exercise and reviewing goals of treatments.  

Please contact us to schedule this visit - earlier in the year is always better for you.  While we can perform this visit at any time.

Transitions of Care: What are They & Why They are So Important?

For anyone that has recently had an unplanned trip to the hospital, it is likely you received a call from us requesting you come in for an office visit. Why? According to CMS, nearly 1 in every 6 patients admitted to a hospital will be readmitted within 30 days.  Two thirds of the admissions will occur before 14 days. An evidence-based approach to reducing the percentage of getting readmitted is having a Transitional Care visit—especially within 5-10 days of discharge.  This visit is a very important time out for both the provider and patient to review and discuss the discharge plan of care and also do medication reconciliation.  Medication reconciliation is when the provider compares our current medication list and the list of medications the patient was given at discharge. One study estimated that 80% of ineffective transitions (including transitions home without a primary care office visit) lead to adverse events. It is critical for your primary care practitioner to see any patient that has had an unplanned admission—so when we call make sure you schedule—it could save you an unnecessary trip back to the hospital!

Diabetes & Eye Exams: Why You Shouldn't Wait

Diabetes affects many parts of your body. Patients with diabetes are at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the small blood vessels behind your eye, in your retina. Diabetes can also increase the risk of developing glaucoma, a condition that can damage the optic nerve.

Patient with diabetes can be at risk for severe glaucoma that - in the worst cases - cannot be reversed and can lead to blindness. Prevent the onset of diabetic retinopathy or try to slow down the disease process by having an annual eye checkup with us.  If you haven’t scheduled your yearly visit yet this year do it now—we can help!  Ask any staff member and we can schedule for you!