News

September 15, 2022 OBESITY the EPIDEMIC   Obesity is epidemic in the United States today and a major cause of death, attributable to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. As t he most prevalent Chronic Disease in the United States, o besity costs this country about $150 billion a year, or almost 10 percent of the national medical budget. Approximately one in three adults and one in six children are obese.   DEFINITIONS 4 : Adults: Healthy weight  is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 Overweight  i...

September 7, 2022 Clinical Integration Physician Education & CME Updates   The Clinical Integration Performance Period 2 of 2022 Physician Education Video is now available on the MPP website for PCP’s, Specialists, Pediatricians, and all St. Luke Physicians.   You can access our website by clicking this link: www.mclarenpp.org Please open with Google Chrome.   This video targets proper technique for clinicians to obtain a controlled blood pressure in the office setting and patient edu...

September 1, 2022 Vaping and E-Cigarettes Discussions to Have With Patients E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or a mix of small particles into the air. They can be used to deliver nicotine, marijuana and other drugs. E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).” 4   FACTS ABOUT VAPING: 1 1: Vaping is less har...

August 15, 2022 MPP KEY STAFF MEETING McLaren Physician Partners (MPP) provides Virtual Key Staff presentations quarterly.   Please join us for our next live webinar:   Wednesday, September 7, 2022 12:00 PM We want to hear from you during these uncertain times. Please invite any staff who would benefit from the information being presented.   Topics to be discussed include : MPP Updates—Dr. Preston Thomas, MPP Associate Medical Director MPP Care Coordination Updates Polymedco-Colorectal Ca...

August 1, 2022 COLONOSCOPY FOLLOW UP SCREENING GUIDELINES   BACKGROUND: The U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer updated recommended follow-up intervals after screening colonoscopy in average-risk individuals. This guidance does not apply to people with hereditary syndromes that increase Colorectal Cancer (CRC) risk, inflammatory bowel disease, serrated polyposis syndrome, or personal or family history of CRC. These guidelines consider colonoscopy results alone and do not evaluate the...

July 15, 2022   Antibiotic Aware – Beware of Inappropriate Care   “Data from the National Center for Health Statistics indicate that, in recent years, approximately 75% of all outpatient antimicrobial prescriptions have been issued for 5 conditions – otitis media, sinusitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infections” – JAMA 1995. (1) “Among the approximately 100 million antibiotic scripts written every year for acute respiratory tract infections, half are prescribed inappr...

July 1, 2022 Diabetes Control in the Elderly   SUMMARY: Management of the elderly patient with diabetes promote relaxed targets and avoidance of aggressive control. Choice of diabetes medications in the elderly requires careful assessment of hypoglycemic risk 1 . Adults > 65 years of age with diabetes should be a high priority for depression screening and treatment.   MANAGEMENT: Individualize Targets and Goals 2 7 - 7.5% is reasonable for healthy patients over age 65 with no or few comorbi...

McLaren Health Care, the three-state, 14-hospital health care system and health plan, has appointed Justin F. Klamerus, M.D., M.M.M., as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Klamerus has served as President of Karmanos Cancer Hospital & Network, a subsidiary of McLaren Health Care, since January 2017. An oncologist by training, Dr. Klamerus assumes the position previously held by Dr. Michael McKenna, McLaren Health Care’s first CMO, who passed away in May. “Over what has already b...

June 15, 2022 Current Procedural Terminology Category II Codes (CPT-2 Codes)   WHAT ARE CPT-2 CODES: They describe the following: Clinical components, such as those typically included in evaluation, management, or other clinical services. Results from clinical laboratory or radiology tests and other procedures. Identified processes intended to address patient safety practices (such as fall risk). Services reflecting compliance with state or federal law.   PURPOSE: CPT II codes help define nati...

June 1, 2022   CAHPS - Patient Experience The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) develop, implement, and administer several different patient experience surveys. One of them is the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS). These surveys ask patients and care givers about their experiences and opinions of their health care providers, their health plan, hospitals, home health care agency, and drug plan. There are number of surveys that may pertain to your prac...