FHS Monitor Fall 09 - Entira Family Clinics

Recognition for…
Excellence in
Quality Health Care
O
Paul Berrisford, FHSM COO
nce again Family HealthServices Minnesota (FHSM)
received awards for health care excellence from the
“Bridges to Excellence” program locally sponsored
by the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG).
“Bridges to Excellence “ is a national employer led program
with the goals of improving the quality of health care and
value for patients. BHCAG is a coalition of Minnesota
public and private employers, such as 3M, Medtronic and
the University of Minnesota, who initiated the “Bridges to
Excellence” program in Minnesota.
The programs categories this year were…
Optimal Diabetes Care,
Optimal Vascular Care and
Depression Care.
The programs look at how well patients who have these
conditions are doing by reviewing various test results, such
as proper blood pressures, blood sugar levels, cholesterol
levels, depression assessments and aspirin use. Good test
results lead to better health outcomes.
While a number of clinic groups were recognized for one or
two categories, we were the ONLY clinic group to be
recognized in all three categories. While recognition is
always enjoyable, the real winner is you. This means that
we are helping our patients to achieve the best health care
outcome possible which is a key part of our mission at
Family HealthServices Minnesota’s 13 family care clinics.
Fall 2009
Family HealthServices Minnesota, P.A.,
formerly known as East Metro Family Practice, P.A.
and MinnHealth Family Physicians, P.A.
H
After Hours Care
Deb Sepeta, PA-C., — Afton Clinic
ow many times have you gotten home from
work to find out one of your kids has a sore
throat or ear pain? Have you had a cough that
you just weren’t sure should wait until the next day to
see your primary provider about? Medical problems
don’t always occur during regular office hours. That’s
why we now have TWO after hours care clinics plus
24 hour physician on-call coverage to better serve your
medical needs. Our After Hours Care Clinics (AHC)
are located in our North Saint Paul and Inver Grove
Heights offices and are open weekdays from 6:00 pm
to 8:30 pm and weekends from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on
Saturday and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sundays.
So why should you go to FHSM After Hours Care?
That’s easy! FHSM After Hours Care is staffed by
YOUR primary providers with YOUR up-to-date
electronic medical records. That means the
providers you see at After Hours Care can see the
same record your primary provider sees at your
usual clinic. This means they know your medical
history, medications you take, allergies,
hospitalization and surgical history. Plus, your
primary provider then has immediate access to your
record from After Hours Care.
For example, if you had an x-ray taken at AHC
on Saturday, your provider has the report there
when you see them for follow up the next
week. Or, if you needed lab work done at AHC,
your provider has that information and sees
exactly what was done at AHC.
And that means better care. Also, because we are all
part of your medical home care team, AHC providers
can easily communicate with your primary provider
and that also means better care.
So, next time you or your family is in need of medical
care after hours, give us a call and we’ll be glad to see
you in either of our two convenient locations. Let us
continue to provide great quality of care…during
regular office hours and after hours now as well.
(See back page for more information).
Monitor
DEAR PHYSICIAN/FLU INFO
“Dear Physician” X
2
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Fall 2009
Booster seats laws in Minnesota are changing. Will I be in violation of the
new law? What are the new rules?
Children under age 8 or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall must be in a child
safety seat or booster seat, effective July 1, 2009 in Minnesota. Under the new
booster law, children cannot use a seat belt alone until they are age 8 or 4 feet
9 inches tall—whichever comes first. The Minnesota Department of Public
Safety (DPS) recommend parents keep children in a booster based on their
height, rather than their age to ensure child safety.
(See page 4 for more information on “New Booster Seat Law”).
What is a “preop”? Who do I need to see before my operation?
Who decides what happens to me?
A “preop” is a preoperative consultation. Surgical specialists often refer patients
back to their primary care provider. A primary care provider’s role is to help
assure the best surgical result possible, by identifying a patient’s medical status
and maximizing the state of health before the operation takes place. The primary
care provider often knows the patient’s full medical status, and is thus very
qualified to determine a patient’s ability to undergo anesthesia and a surgical
procedure. The anesthesiologist and surgeon have the final decision-making
power about whether to give a “green light” for proceeding with surgery.
(See page 5 “Getting a “Green Light” for Surgery—The ‘preop‘ exam”).
What can I do to reduce the danger of developing diabetic complications?
What are the risk factors, their importance, and what steps can I take to
minimize their negative effect on my health?
The “Big 5” important health risk factors for complications of diabetes are
elevated blood pressure, smoking, lack of blood sugar control, elevated
cholesterol, and lack of daily aspirin use.
(See page 7 for more information on “Da Big Five”).
Sorting Out The Facts:
FLU Vaccination
“DEAR PHYSICIAN” The Monitor was
designed to provide YOU, our patients,
with medical information to improve
YOUR health care. We would like to give
you the opportunity to ask health questions
and concerns about medical care.
“Dear Physician” will become a regular
column of The Monitor, and the Family
HealthServices Minnesota medical staff
will answer your health questions (formerly
East Metro and MinnHealth).
Please submit these questions to:
The Monitor, “Dear Physician”
Family HealthServices Minnesota , P.A.,
2025 Sloan Place,
St. Paul, Minnesota 55117
Your Comments & Suggestions are wanted!
Please let us know how we are doing.
Patient satisfaction is our # 1 goal.
If you are happy with us, we’d like to know.
If you are not happy with us, we need to know.
Visit Our Clinics Online:
FLU MIST Vaccination
WHO SHOULD GET A FLU VACCINATION:
People at high risk for complications from influenza, including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Children aged 6 months to 18 years of age
Pregnant women
People 18 years of age and older
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
People who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months
of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
• Healthcare workers
• Shot lasting up to 1 year
Who Should NOT Get a Flu Shot
www.fhsm.com
Let us know what you think. Click on
“About FHSM”and then “Feedback.”
• Those who have ever had a severe allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous flu
shot (example: anaphylaxis) after ingesting eggs or after receiving a previous
dose of influenza vaccine or an influenza vaccine component.
• Those who have a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome (French Polio) within
6 weeks of a previous influenza vaccination.
WHO SHOULD GET
A FLU MIST
VACCINATION:
People at high risk for
complications from
influenza, including:
• Healthy Children aged
2 years old on up
• Healthy People
18 to 49 years of age
• Shot lasting up to 1 year
Who Should NOT Get
the Flu Mist:
• Pregnant women
• Any person over
the age of 49
NEW STAFF
Welcome New Providers…
Tara Kelly, M.D.
Kristie Kunnari, PA-C
Tara Kelly, M.D.
grew up on the
East side
of Saint Paul.
She attended the
University of
Saint Thomas
for her
undergraduate
work and
medical school
at the University of Minnesota—Twin
Cities. Her residency training was
completed at United Family Medicine
Residency Program in St. Paul.
Hello and Hola!
My name is Kristie
Kunnari and I am a
Physician Assistant.
I am a Twin Cities girl,
born and raised in
South Minneapolis
near Lake Nokomis.
After graduating from
Bethel University,
I participated in a oneyear inner-city volunteer program and
then worked a few years at Medtronic,
Inc. I finally decided to pursue my
dream of becoming a Physician
Assistant because I wanted to combine
my love of learning with my desire to
serve and impact the lives of those
around me. Since my graduation in
May 2009, I have been enjoying some
long-lost freedom running, biking,
spending time with friends & family,
drinking coffee, and barbequing with
friends from church.
to our Maryland Clinic
Dr. Kelly is married and recently
celebrated the birth of her first child.
She enjoys spending time with her
husband (of course he is a native
St. Paulite and East-sider as well), her
new baby, and two cats. Her goal in
life is to spend as much time with
friends and family and help improve
people’s lives through her work.
Dr. Kelly is excited to join the
Maryland clinic. It gives her the
chance to serve the East Side
community that is so important to her.
Her interests are in broad-spectrum
family care, particularly women’s
health, obstetrics and pediatrics.
Medical Fun Facts!
The human eye blinks an average
of 4,200,000 times a year.
It takes approximately 12 hours
for food to entirely digest.
Human jaw muscles can generate
a force of 200 pounds (90.8
kilograms) on the molars.
The average person falls asleep in
seven minutes.
The human brain is 80% water.
to our North St. Paul Clinic
I anticipate practicing the full spectrum
of ages within family medicine, but
especially enjoy pediatrics, adolescence,
and older adult medicine. I am
passionate about disease prevention
and empowering others to be actively
involved in their own health and sense
of wellness. My sincere desire is to
provide quality medical care with
kindness.
The PA profession has been active in
the United States since World World II
and traditionally is used to educate and
mobilize medical professionals into
family practice clinics. It is one of the
fastest growing medical professions
because of their increased use in
specialty settings such as orthopedics,
women’s health, surgery, and urgent
care clinics.
As a Physician Assistant I work with a
doctor to care for our patients, but I
may also see patients independently,
prescribe medications, and do small
procedures. “PA’s” have a Masters
degree in Physician Assistant Studies.
Most programs are fulltime, year
Monitor
Fall 2009 X
3
round, and last from 24-36 months.
Our rigorous curriculum is based on
the same medical
model of education
that medical doctors
receive. In addition
we also complete
similar rotations such
as pediatrics, family
medicine, surgery,
internal and
emergency medicine,
etc. We have a
national examination
to become “Certified” and have to
renew our license every 5 years, as well
as complete continuing medical
education training. PA’s are generally
known for their versatility, teamworking abilities, and patient-focused
medicine.
I am excited to begin practicing at the
North St. Paul clinic of FHSM where
individuals are known by name and
relationships are made with the
patients. I look forward to meeting you,
looking in your ears, and listening to
your heart!
We hope you have a safe and happy
Halloween. Please see our website,
www.fhsm.com , click on
“About FHSM”, scroll to “FHSM
Newsletters” for information
regarding Halloween Safety
(Fall, 2008 Monitor).
To Serve You Better…
Family HealthServices has a
new FHSM website! You’ll find updated
physician profiles, improved searches,
A-Z patient education and more.
Visit us at www.fhsm.com
We would like your feedback
on the website. Click on
“About FHSM” and
then “Feedback.”
✍
Monitor
4 Fall 2009
BOOSTER SEAT LAW
New Booster Seat Law
M
Provided by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to inform patients
innesota children under age
8 or shorter than 4 feet 9
inches tall must be in a
child safety seat or booster seat,
effective July 1, 2009. Under the new
booster law, children cannot use a
seat belt alone until they are age 8
or 4 feet 9 inches tall—whichever
comes first.
To ensure child safety, the Minnesota
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
recommends that parents keep
children in a booster based on their
height, rather than their age.
DPS has materials available for
family physicians to download and
distribute at:
www.buckleupkids.state.mn.us.
– including a flier explaining the law,
frequently asked questions and more.
Booster seats lift a child up
allowing for proper seat belt fit –
the lap belt low and snug across the
hips and the shoulder belt snug
across the middle of the chest.
Typically
children
around age 4
and more than
40 pounds are
ready for a
booster, upon
outgrowing a
forward-facing
child safety
seat.
“Boosters are common sense safety
tools to ensure children are riding
as safe as possible in a vehicle,”
says Heather Darby, DPA child
passenger safety coordinator.
“Children that are shorter than
4 feet 9 simply aren’t tall enough
to use a seat belt alone; if they do,
a belt may do more damage than
good in case of a crash.”
DPS reports only 30 percent of
Minnesota children use boosters.
In the last five years in Minnesota,
2004-2008, 18 children passengers
ages 4-8 were killed in crashes and
3,047 were injured. Child passenger
safety officials say the importance of
boosters is underscored by death and
injuries associated with poor seat belt
fit – including ejection, internal
decapitation and serious abdominal
damage.
Darby says children are not ready to
ride in a seat belt alone until they can
sit with their back against the vehicle
seat, knees bent completely over the
seat and feet touching the floor.
Darby says a sign that a seat belt
does not fit properly is if the child
wraps the shoulder belt behind them
to avoid the belt rubbing against
their neck.
A child must progress through a
series of child seats, as they grow:
rear-facing infant seats,
forward-facing toddler seats,
booster seats, and
seat belts
– all of which are effective and
necessary.
In Minnesota, three out of every four
child restraints are used incorrectly –
meaning children are riding in the
wrong restraint or the restraint is not
properly secured. In the last five
years, 2004-2008, 44 vehicle
occupants under age 10 were killed
on Minnesota roads and 32 of the
victims were not in child restraints,
or the restraint was used improperly.
(Photographs courtesy Minneapolis Department of
Public Safety, Child Safety Link).
!
Minnesota Department
of Public Safety
Most Common Child
Passenger Safety Mistakes:
1. Turning a child from a
rear-facing restraint to a
forward-facing restraint
too soon.
2. Restraint is not secured tight
enough—it should not shift
more than one inch side-to-side
or out from the seat.
3. Harness on the child is not tight
enough—if you can pinch
harness material, it’s too loose.
4. Retainer clip is up too high or
too low—should be at the
child’s armpit level.
5. The child is in the wrong
restraint—don’t rush your child
into a seat belt.
“PREOP” EXAM
Getting a “Green Light”
for Surgery—The “preop” exam
S
✁
Steven Skildum, M.D. — Highland Clinic
urgical specialists often
refer patients back to
their primary care
provider for a preoperative
consultation (commonly
called a “preop”). The primary care provider often
knows the patient’s full
medical status, and is thus
very qualified to determine
a patient’s ability to undergo anesthesia and a surgical
procedure. During the
preop exam, the primary
care provider evaluates any
medical conditions the patient currently has. He or she also identifies
any potential surgical risks to the
heart, lungs, kidneys, or other vital
organs. The goal is to assess and
improve the patient’s medical condition so the patient is the healthiest he/she can possibly be when
going into surgery.
There are two types of surgical risksprocedural risks and patient-specific
risks. Procedural risks can be rated
as low (such as cataract surgery),
intermediate (such as prostate surgery)
or high (such as major heart surgery).
Patient-specific risk is determined by
doing lab tests and assessing a
patient’s overall health.
Cardiac (heart) health is very
important. Sometimes cardiac health
can be very simply stated after
asking a patient what activities he
can do. For example, one patient
may be able to bowl, golf, or climb
stairs slowly, and he would be rated
at 4 METS (METS stand for Metabolic
Equivalents). Another patient might
be able to perform strenuous sports,
hockey, swimming, or downhill
skiing and he would be rated at 10
METS. In general, a patient who can
function at 4 METS or greater is
considered to be a better risk for
surgery.
Your provider will be interested
in your complete heart history,
including any prior surgeries for
stents, artificial valves, or a
pacemaker. He will also fully
assess your lungs and breathing,
and take note of risks such as
sleep apnea, asthma, smoking,
etc. He will review all
medications you are taking,
including those that might affect
blood clotting. He will help
manage your medications
before and after surgery.
The anesthesiologist and surgeon
have the final decision-making
power about whether to give a
“green light” for proceeding with
surgery. A primary care provider’s
role is to help assure the best
surgical result possible, by
identifying a patient’s medical status
and maximizing the state of health
before the operation takes place.
I
S
O
L
A
T
I
O
N
V
K
F
W
K
M
2009
Monitor
Fall 2009 5
Ca l e ndar
of Events
National Health Observances
OCTOBER:
National Breast Cancer Awareness
Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nbcam.org
National Depression
Screening Day (Oct.8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . www.mentalhealthscreening.org
NOVEMBER:
American Diabetes Month
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.diabetes.org
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
. . . . . . . . . www.lungcanceralliance.org
Pulmonary Hypertension
Awareness Month
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.phassociation.org
Great American Smokeout
(Nov. 19) . . . . . . . . . . . acsf2f.com/gaso/
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pancan.org
DECEMBER:
World AIDS Day (Dec. 1)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . unaids@unaids.org
Get your Flu shot this season!
Z
O
C
V
Q
T
B
X
W
F
A
A
S
U
G
S
L
L
I
H
C
D
V
Q
P
S
Z
L
U
I
K
B
G
R
Q
W
S
M
S
H
U
F
H
W
R
H
T
U
O
M
R
U
O
Y
R
E
V
O
C
C
I
V
X
T
I
N
Q
O
F
N
F
A
I
C
R
Z
N
S
X
I
Q
U
S
I
T
L
C
J
C
U
L
E
F
G
H
R
F
W
P
O
U
C
Q
G
P
R
O
Z
L
H
E
S
F
M
H
I
I
V
A
D
F
J
N
A
U
J
D
W
J
S
D
N
I
O
Q
R
E
N
E
V
E
M
W
W
U
S
A
C
A
K
M
D
V
J
L
E
N
O
D
L
I
T
W
O
X
S
D
C
E
T
Y
I
Z
P
F
O
I
R
P
N
W
A
Q
I
R
M
T
Z
A
R
C
O
U
G
H
A
D
N
N
E
N
M
C
C
N
B
N
X
Z
B
Find the
hidden words
(Search up, down,
sideways and
diagonally!)
CHILLS
COUGH
COVERYOURMOUTH
DOCTOR
FEVER
FLUIDS
FLUSHOT
INFLUENZA
ISOLATION
REST
SWINEFLU
TYLENOL
VACCINATION
WASHYOURHANDS
Monitor
APPOINTMENT TYPES
6 Fall 2009
Making Sense of Your
Appointments at the Clinic
P
Angela Smithson M.D., - Banning Clinic
atients frequently are unaware there are different categories of appointments, or what is involved in a complete physical. They will certainly
get frustrated by problems with insurance coverage that may result
from an appointment-type miscommunication after a visit. Not only do
different types of appointments block out different lengths of time, but a
provider anticipates what to plan for in advance for a certain visit type, and
from an insurance perspective, the appointment type will define how the
charges are identified and may have different payment coverage. When
patients, staff and insurance all have the same understanding of the appointment type, provider schedules become more “on time”, fewer insurance
billing problems arise, and patient satisfaction improves.
Here is a description of the Appointment Types.
Please ask your physician any questions regarding this and be sure to ask
your doctor or the clinic staff what type of visit you should schedule for
any visit when needed.
Appointment Types:
1. Ill Visit/Acute Care Visit /
Urgent Visit / New Problem Visit
• People may refer to this visit type
with any of the above phrases.
This visit is typically kept focused
on the symptom or condition the
patient is concerned about.
• It is scheduled to deal with a
single acute problem with usually
a 10-15 minute schedule block.
Often a schedule has time kept
open just for these same day calls.
• From an insurance standpoint labs
ordered to help with determining
a diagnosis are linked to the
problem and are reimbursed
different from general screening
tests.
• Clinic staff may identify some
health care maintenance issue to
catch up and add that to an acute
visit or may remind you to
schedule another visit. When a
patient has a serious illness, this
may indeed take much longer
than the allotted time, but taking
care of the urgently sick patient is
always the priority.
2. Medication Check /
Chronic Disease Follow Up /
Health Maintenance Visit
• This appointment type is often the
2-4 visits per year for many adults
dealing with a chronic health
condition. Typically one or several
ongoing chronic health conditions
are reviewed with usually a 15-20
minute schedule block of time.
• The purpose is to obtain necessary
labs needed for monitoring the
condition, and for provider and
staff to update chronic
medications and make necessary
adjustments to doses.
• Insurance usually will cover labs,
but may cover only a certain
number per year and billing
problems may result if a patient
gets duplicated labs from a
subspecialist like a cardiologist
and a family medicine doctor. At
this visit labs are generally tied to
the health condition diagnosis and
are also not considered screening
labs.
• Clinic staff may identify other
health care maintenance issues,
such as updating vaccines, but
there is minimal time in this
appointment block for any
additional new problems.
3. Well Visit / Complete Physical /
Physical Exam / Pap /
Preventive Visit
• This appointment type is generally
more of a provider driven visit
that deals with recommended
health screening, immunizations
and reviews individualized
healthy behavior counseling,
where the goal is to let patients
know how their health is overall.
• Insurance often separates this
appointment from billing
categories for an ill visit with
different rules regarding co-pays
and whether the costs apply to a
deductible. Depending on the
policy insurance may cover a
preventive visit yearly or every 2-5
years. For women they may
consider a gynecologist exam as a
preventive visit. Insurance may or
may not cover screening labs
depending on family history or
personal risk for disease, and the
particular policy. Patient concerns
about a health problem if brought
up at this appointment may be
best handled at a new problem or
ill visit.
4. Procedure Visit
• This visit deals with skin biopsies,
mole removals, some cosmetic
procedures, diagnostic procedures
and other simple surgical
procedures.
• Each procedure has a certain level
of time assigned depending on
whether the procedure is
anticipated to be simple or more
complex and varies from 15
minutes to 1 hour. This visit also
usually requires a procedure room
and supplies to be reserved and
confirmed.
• Insurance may vary payment
depending on rules for a
deductible, if it is elective, if it is to
be handled in a surgical facility or
clinic facility, or if it possibly
work-related.
5. Worker’s Compensation Visit
• Work-related injuries and
problems may be handled at
FHSM depending on the
employers rules.
• The clinic will only bill a worker’s
compensation company, therefore
chronic or other problems notwork related cannot be added to
the visit as that is covered only by your health
insurance. No other health maintenance issues can
be added to this exam, except perhaps a tetanus
booster for a work injury.
6. Lab Visit
• A scheduled time to get blood, urine or other tests
and immunizations/injections.
• This is not a time where you will meet with a
physician and not part of a provider’s schedule.
• Insurance often does not require a co-pay for this
type of visit.
The Following are Tips to Make Your Next
Appointment Scheduling Phone Call Much Easier
Examine your schedule. Take the time to look over
your home and work calendars. Choose your most
desired dates and times according to your schedule.
Write them down to refer to while on the appointment
scheduling phone call. Prepare and make the phone
call in privacy. You should make the appointmentscheduling phone call during clinic hours.
Try to avoid calling during peak call times which
include the minutes shortly before office opening and
office closing as well as lunch time. It is also extremely
important that both parties are able to be heard while
scheduling the appointment. Make sure you are calling
from a room that is free from excess noise.
Gather your personal information. The appointment
scheduler may need information such as your name,
social security number, and insurance carrier.
Depending on the appointment type, you may need to
give health information as well. Be sure to provide
detailed information such as known allergies and
symptom onset.
Remember, YOU are the expert on your medical
history. For an acute visit please let the clinic know the
one problem you need to get evaluated. For a medicine
check visit please ask if there is time blocked to also
handle any new issue or problem you might have. For
a well visit, minor problems may get some advice, but
if you have a significant problem a separate visit is
usually required. During a lab visit you will not have
an opportunity to meet with the doctor.
If our patients understand what the clinic and the
insurance company are expecting about each visit, we
hope patients will better understand why some issues
are asked to be rescheduled. We also hope it will help
providers stay on time with less unexpected issues at
an appointment creating time delays, and even more
important we hope the patients overall experience will
be improved
with
everything
going just as
expected and
✁ ☎
✒
as scheduled!
Pg.#_____ _____ _____
_____
_____
Find Me!
✍
Find the hidden art (Score on back)
Write the page number beneath each picture.
5 BIG RISK FACTORS
Monitor
Fall 2009 7
“Da Big Five”
N
✎
Samuel Seltz, M.D. — Inver Grove Heights Clinic
o, this article does not describe the 2008 Chicago
Bears new defensive front. Almost as powerful for
diabetic patients, however, is the effect of five important health risk factors. The “Big 5” risk factors for complications of diabetes are elevated blood pressure, smoking,
lack of blood sugar control, elevated cholesterol, and lack of
daily aspirin use. Patients can substantially reduce the danger of developing diabetic complications if they understand
the importance of the risk factors, and take steps to minimize them.
Although we tend to think of diabetic complications in
terms of eye, wound, and kidney-related issues, in actuality,
the bulk of complications related to diabetes are related to
large blood vessel problems—in other words, the risk of
heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery complications.
1
2
3
Let’s look at “Da Big Five” in more detail:
Blood pressure. The goal of less than 130/80 is difficult
to attain—but can substantially reduce complications,
especially if kidney disease is present.
Smoking cessation. Stopping smoking may have a
greater benefit for survival than any other factor, and
new medications give providers and patients even
more tools than were previously available.
Blood sugar control. The hemoglobin A1c, a tool to
monitor blood sugar control over the prior 3 months,
is currently recommended to be < 7. New recommendations in 2009 will increase this to 8 due to concern about
hypoglycemia, but keeping blood sugars under control is
still extremely important.
4
5
Cholesterol reduction. Another tough act to achieve is
keeping the “bad cholesterol”, or LDL, under 100.
However, newer and cheaper statin medications, plus
diet and exercise, make this possible for nearly all diabetics.
Aspirin. For diabetic patients over the age of 40 who
don’t have an allergy or complication related to aspirin
use, using at least an 81mg baby aspirin has been
found to provide benefit.
Your FHSM provider is committed to helping you achieve
success on all five of these guidelines. In the past, the
number of diabetics who met the goal for all five has been
low nationally. Currently, within the FHSM healthcare
system, 26% of diabetic patients have achieved “all 5”, but
we are striving to make this at least 30% for 2009.
So when your provider pulls out your scorecard for “Da Big
Five”, don’t groan. It just may save your life.
Written by your Doctors…
this publication is a service of Family HealthServices
Minnesota, P.A. a network of 13 Family Care Clinics,
in order to better serve your health needs.
Afton Road Office
North St. Paul Office
☎
2716 Upper Afton Road
Maplewood, MN 55119
Appts: 651-739-5050
Billing: 651-739-4594
2601 Centennial Drive
Suite 100
North St. Paul, MN 55109
Appts: 651-777-7414
4786 Banning Avenue
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Appts: 651-426-6402
Billing: 651-426-8761
404 W. Highway 96
Shoreview MN 55126
Appts: 651-483-8283
Billing: 651-483-8293
234 East Wentworth Ave.
West St. Paul, MN 55118
Appts: 651-455-2940
3550 Labore Rd, Suite 7
Vadnais Heights MN 55110
Appts: 651-766-0520
Billing: 651-766-9450
Banning Office
Gorman Office
Highland Office
1540 Randolph Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
Appts: 651-699-8333
Inver Grove
Heights Office
Shoreview Office
Family Medicine in your Neighborhood
Office of the Editor
2025 Sloan Place, Ste. 35
Saint Paul, MN 55117-2058
Vadnais Heights Office
White Bear Office
3220 Bellaire Avenue,
White Bear Lake MN 55110
Appts: 651-777-8149
Billing: 651-777-5235
Woodbury Office
2980 Buckley Way
Inver Grove Heights,
MN 55076
Appts: 651-457-2748
8325 City Centre Drive
Woodbury MN 55125
Appts: 651-731-0859
Billing: 651-731-3584
1050 W. Larpenteur Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55113
Appts: 651-487-2831
Billing: 651-487-1615
2056 Woodlane Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125
Appts: 651-731-2020
911 East Maryland Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55106
Appts: 651-776-2719
Let us know what you
think.Click on “About
FHSM”and then “Feedback.”
Larpenteur Office
Maryland Office
Woodlane Office
Visit Our Clinics Online:
www.fhsm.com
2025 Sloan Place, Ste. 35
St. Paul, MN 55117-2058
Bus: 651-772-1572
Fax:
651-772-1889
After Hours Care
CLINIC CARE SCHEDULE
All after hours calls should be directed through your
primary clinic. These calls will be automatically
routed to the After Hours Care clinic during its
scheduled hours, or the on-call physician if the clinic is
not available. If a physician has NOT contacted you
within 30 minutes of placing your call, please call back
so we can be attentive to your medical needs. The
Family HealthServices (FHSM) After Hours Care is to
serve you, our patients. It offers a convenient way to
Family HealthServices Minnesota, P.A. has two
After Hours Care facilities to serve you:
North Saint Paul: 2601 Centennial Drive, Suite
#100, North St. Paul, Minnesota, 55109
Inver Grove Heights: 2980 Buckley Way,
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, 55076
After Hours Care
Monitor
Fall 2009 8
seek care for illness or injury that occurs after your
regular clinic yours. FHSM’s After Hours clinic is
staffed by our own primary care providers, offering
you the continued evaluation and treatment you have
come to expect during regular office hours. Should
you require follow-up care with us, or additional care
from a subspecialist, our providers and staff will assist
you in scheduling these appointments.
All clinic phone numbers listed above.
REGULAR SCHEDULE
Clinic Hours
(No. St. Paul & Inver Grove Hgts.)
After Hours Care Phone Sch.
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Clinic Hours
(No. St. Paul & Inver Grove Hgts.)
HOLIDAY After Hours Care
HOLIDAY After Hours Care Phone
Monday–Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Years Eve
New Years Day
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Thurs.—Nov. 26
Thurs.—Dec. 24
Fri.—Dec. 25
Thurs.—Dec. 31
Fri.—Jan. 1
Fri.—Apr. 2
Sun.—Apr. 4
8:00–5:00 pm
Closed
Closed
Closed
8:00 am—12:00 pm
Closed
Regular Hours (8-5)
Closed
Regular Hours (8-5)
Closed
The purpose of After Hours Care is to offer our
patients after-hour care for illness and injuries that
require immediate attention that cannot wait until
our usual clinic hours.
6:00 pm–8:30 pm
9:00 am–5:00 pm
9:00 am–4:00 pm
9:00 am—2:00 p.m.
1:00 pm—5:00 pm
Closed—On Call MD available
6:00 pm—8:30 pm
9:00 am—2:00 pm
6:00 pm—8:30 pm
9:00 am—2:00 pm
Our After Hours Care Clinic is NOT an emergency
medical facility; CALL 911 for any life-threatening
situations. Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222
(24 hour service).
5:00 pm- 8:30 pm
8:00 am-5:00 pm
8:00 am-4:00 pm
8:00 am—1:00 pm
12:00pm—4:00 pm
5:00 pm—8:30 pm
8:00 am—1:00 pm
5:00 pm—8:30 pm
8:00 am—1:00 pm
Score: Find Me! (From page seven)
✁ 2
Pg.# ____
5
____
8
_____
✎
7
_____
✍
3
_____