Penn Elm Medical Group
488 E. Valley Parkway
Suite 411
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 745-2000

NEWSLETTER:
APRIL 2005

News You Can Use
Plavix® Reduces Risk of Death and Complications in Major Heart Attacks
March 11, 2005: A study of nearly 46,000 heart attack patients showed that taking the prescription drug Clopidogrel (Plavix®—used primarily to prevent strokes) daily for a month, in addition to aspirin, can reduce the number of deaths from major heart attacks, additional heart attacks, and strokes in the hospital, according to researchers in England and China. The results of the Clopidogrel and Metoprolol in Myocardial Infarction Trial (COMMIT) were presented in a late breaking session two weeks ago at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, Florida.

FDA Reports Certain Soft Cheeses Create Health Risk
According to a March 14 FDA health advisory, certain queso fresco-style soft cheeses, made from raw milk and popular in the Hispanic community, can present a serious danger to high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. In these high-risk individuals, the unripened soft cheeses can cause infectious diseases such as listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis, and tuberculosis.

Recent cases of tuberculosis in New York City have been linked to consumption of queso fresco-style cheeses, either imported from or consumed in Mexico. The cheeses were contaminated with Mycobacterium bovis. The FDA recommends that consumers not eat any unripened raw-milk soft cheese from Mexico, Nicaragua or Honduras. The statement goes on to say "There is some risk of infection from a number of pathogenic bacteria for anyone who eats raw-milk soft cheese from any source." Go to the FDA website to read the advisory.

Available Soon: Once-A-Month Osteoporosis Pill
Family physicians can soon begin prescribing Ibandronate Sodium, marketed under the brand name Boniva®, as a once-monthly medicine to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis. Already available in daily dosages, Boniva was approved for once-a-month dosing by the FDA on March 25. It is expected to be on the market in April, and complete prescribing information will be available at the Boniva website.

Patients taking Boniva monthly can sign up for MyBONIVA, a patient support program to enhance compliance. Call 800-4BONIVA for information about this program. The new treatment comes in the wake of the 2004 publication Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General, which put osteoporosis on a par with smoking and obesity as a major health issue. Osteoporosis and osteopenia will affect up to 52 million men and women over age 50 by 2010, and 61 million by 2020, according to the report. To read about FDA's approval of Boniva, go to Medical News Today.

Important Announcements
Electronic Medical Record Update
As you may know, Penn Elm is in its first month of implementing the new Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and training doctors and staff on its use. It has been a steep learning curve for all of us, but we are quickly improving our processes and flow to improve your care. We appreciate your patience as our doctors take lighter schedules this month to learn the new processes and improve their computer skills. If you have any questions regarding the EMR, please leave a message for Operations Manager, Judy Shaw.

What’s New at Penn Elm?
Pre- and Post-Procedure Instructions Now Located on this Website!
If you have ever had a question about how to take care of a biopsy you had, what you are supposed to do prior to your colon cancer screening test, or before and after a vasectomy, you will be pleased to know that you can now find these and other common "before and after" instructions on this website. Click on the answer to the first question on the FAQ page ("Where can I find before and after instructions for medical procedures performed by my Penn Elm doctor?") or on the "patient instructions" link below for details about procedures performed by your Penn Elm doctor.

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