NEWSLETTER:
JUNE
2004
Penn Elm Medical Group
488 E. Valley Parkway
Suite 411
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 745-2000
Hello, and welcome to the new Penn Elm newsletter! In this monthly publication we will provide:
- updates on news regarding your and your family’s health from research around the world;
- links to websites with useful information and educational papers;
- updates on services that are available at Penn Elm;
- reminders for vaccinations and preventive care;
- discussions about Penn Elm policies and procedures, recommended products, and information on obtaining all of your medical needs through your physician.
If you have particular questions you would like to see addressed, please notify our reception staff and we will try to cover them in future newsletters. Also, if you have ideas to make the format of this newsletter more useful and interesting, please let us know!
News
you can use
Plan B Emergency Contraception
The
FDA has decided not to make Plan B Emergency Contraception available
without a prescription. On May 7, 2004 agency officials said they had
informed Barr Research, the sponsor of the over the counter (OTC) request,
that they took the action primarily due to the lack of data in the
company's application concerning use of the product by women under
16 years old. "I will be working toward the expeditious evaluation
of Barr's response to the ‘Not Approvable’ letter," said Steven Galson,
acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "If
Plan B is approved for nonprescription use, it would dramatically increase
access to this product and will represent an important incremental
step forward in contraceptive availability in the United
States." Additional
information on the FDA's action is available at http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/planB/default.htm
Insurance
Premium Increases Forecasted to Continue
Employers
fed up with the latest round of premium increases are eyeing alternate
products and consumer-driven benefits models, and
they're intensifying their efforts to educate employees on becoming wiser
health care consumers. "Premiums are going up at rates substantially
in excess of the revenues of the organizations for which you are purchasing
the benefits," said Arnold Milstein, MD, MPH, and medical director of
the 50-member coalition Pacific Business Group on Health in San Francisco.
Milstein says that the longer-range solution lies in "identifying and
linking your benefits business to more efficient health care producers,
thinning or reconfiguring physician and hospital networks, and tiering
networks to steer enrollees toward those deemed more efficient." Read
more from HealthLeaders magazine…
Link
of the Month
This
month’s recommendation is www.familydoctor.org. This
site is sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the
umbrella organization that Penn Elm physicians support. This
site provides excellent discussions about specific conditions, healthy
lifestyle advice, how to quit smoking, website reviews, diet recommendations,
and information geared to seniors, women, parents, and conditions particularly
affecting men. We highly recommend that you visit this site and
we have added it to our links at pennelm.com.
Penn
Elm Policies: Q and A
Q: How
can I get a refill for prescription narcotic pain relievers after
regular office hours?
A: Your
doctor wants to make sure your medical needs are met 24 hours a day,
7 days a week, and after hours, there is always a Penn Elm physician
on call to answer your questions by phone. Many times patients
have existing prescriptions that they have either lost or run out of,
or have a condition previously treated by their doctor over the phone. Due
to requirements set by medical standards of care, the on-call physician
may not be able to call in requests for narcotic medications to pharmacies
after hours. It is your responsibility to make sure you notify
your pharmacy or doctor at least 3 business days in advance if you
will be running out of medication so they may address your needs.
Q: I
have had infections previously treated with antibiotics over the phone. If
I am sick after hours, will the on call doctor call in an antibiotic
prescription for me?
A: Although
you may have a condition mimicking an infection previously treated
with antibiotics, it may not be appropriate to fill a prescription
request for antibiotics without an exam. Recent medical literature
has highlighted an international problem of “super bugs” that are resistant
to antibiotics resulting from over-prescribing antibiotics. Often it
will be necessary to obtain a specimen culture to see what type of
germ is causing the symptoms you are experiencing. If you take
antibiotics before a specimen can be collected, we may not be able
to obtain a useful result. Please understand that the doctor
on call wants to make your life easier, but also wants to make sure
your
health comes first.
What’s
new at Penn Elm?
Please
check out the links on the homepage to monthly
updates, including Important Announcements, Hot
Topics, and What’s
New at Penn Elm. We believe that the most useful
feature on the new site is the forms
page which will allow you to download and fill out necessary
medical history and insurance information prior to your next visit
to Penn Elm. This will save you and our staff time, which will
help get you in to see your doctor at your designated appointment time. Also
please explore our doctors’ bios, office
policies, lab and radiology information, and FAQs.
home • about
us • what
is family practice? • scope
of services • our
physicians • office
locations
emergency & after
hours • referrals
to specialists •
insurance •
newsletter/articles
patient
forms • links • f
a q • patient
instructions • radiology • contact
us •
privacy
policy
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© 2004, Penn Elm Medical Group (760)
745-2000
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