News Archive
January 5, 2010
Happy New Year!
With the blossoming New Year we are sure that many of you are resolved to make changes in your lifestyle that will lead to a better health. Whether it is losing weight, eating healthier, exercising, quitting smoking, or simply taking better care of yourself, we at Ballinger Clinic are ready to help you. Our providers are committed to the practice of prevention and the maintenance of good health and know how to tailor the best preventive practice to each individual to help them succeed.
If you are ready for a change or even contemplating one, please call to make an appointment for a health consultation and tell us about your health resolutions. We will be happy to work in collaboration with you to assure that your plan is safe, realistic, and suitable to your health needs and personal motivations.
Welcome Van!
Ballinger Clinic is proud to introduce Van Tran, ARNP. During her years as a surgical and oncology nurse at Stevens Hospital, Van was well known for her care and dedication to patients’ well being. She has demonstrated the determination to go the extra length to provide what is in the patients’ best interest, an untarnished sense of ethics, and endless eagerness to learn. After obtaining her Advanced Nurse Practitioner degree from Seattle University, she brings to Ballinger Clinic all those personal traits in addition to a solid medical formation in the practice of Family Medicine--all values that we at Ballinger Clinic cherish in our quest to provide Excellence in Care. We hope you have the opportunity to meet her and welcome her to your caring medical team.
February 22, 2010
Renewed emphasis on heart health
Did you know that cardiovascular diseases including stroke are the number one killer in our nation? Cigarette and tobacco smoke, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes are the six major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease that you can modify or control. What should you do?
- Know your family history. Does anyone in your immediate family have high cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension?
- Learn your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, and calculate your BMI (body mass index).
- Institute any lifestyle changes that can better your numbers. If you smoke, set a quit date. Ask your doctor how to quit.
- Get a personalized treatment plan. Consider medication if lifestyle changes are not effective.
Would you like to learn more about your heart and assess your risk factors? Try this site! www.hearthub.org.
February 28, 2010
To our Medicare patients:
Medicare, through an archaic formula, will cut physician’s payments for Medicare visits and procedures by 21.2% on March 1st, 2010. This cut will make it impossible for most physicians, including us, to take care of Medicare patients. Physicians, medical organizations, AARP, and other elderly advocacy groups lobbied the U.S. Congress and Senate to repeal the payment reduction. Congress passed a short-term measure to extend physician payment rates. However, the Senate failed to do so and the cut will go into effect as planned on March 1st. The U.S. Senate may still vote to revert the cut, but as it is, Medicare may hold payments to doctors until the issue is resolved. Small clinics, like ours, cannot survive with a prolonged payment withhold.
At Ballinger Clinic we are committed to provide excellent care to all our patients. We, as individuals and through our medical organizations, have requested our representatives to vote against payment cuts for our services. We are optimistic that this issue will be solved promptly, and that we will never have to write to you saying that we are no longer able to see you because the government payments are insufficient to cover the cost of providing care. As it is, however, we will not be able to accept new Medicare patients.
We urge you to call our U.S. Senators now and ask them to make of this issue a priority and to reverse the payment cut made effect by Medicare. We also urge you to share this news with your friends and relatives so we can preserve the care all Medicare recipients deserve.
Sen. Maria Cantwell 202-224-3441 cantwell.senate.gov
Sen. Patty Murray 202-224-2621 murray.senate.gov
Sincerely, Ballinger Clinic Medical Staff
March 8, 2010
March is National Nutrition Month®
Everybody knows that good nutrition is one of the key elements to a healthy life and that poor eating habits contribute to major illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and to symptoms such as fatigue, pain, indigestion, and the blues. However, trying to change your whole eating routine to accommodate the recommended healthy diet can be daunting. During National Nutrition Month®, the American Dietetic Association reminds everyone that an easy way to focus on eating better is to start with the basics: build your nutritional health from the ground up. “By starting slowly and giving yourself a good foundation, you can work towards a healthier life,” says registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson Toby Smithson. “Change doesn’t have to be dramatic to make a difference.”
Smithson suggests ways to improve your nutrition from the ground up.
- Focus on fruits and veggies: “Take a good look at your current diet and you’ll probably realize you’re not eating enough fruits or vegetables. Add a serving each day to one meal and increase it every few weeks. Adding more of these foods into your diet is important whether you buy frozen, fresh or organic.”
- Look locally: From farmer’s markets to community-supported agriculture, you have many options to find new, fresh foods in your area. “This can be a great way to eat well and support your community at the same time.”
- Make calories count: “Too often, people think of foods as good or bad and that only those on the ‘good foods’ list are okay to eat. When you’re choosing between options, focus instead on the one with more of the vitamins and nutrients that you need. Sometimes, foods with fewer calories aren’t always the healthiest options.” To figure out how many calories you need to achieve a healthy weight, visit www.mypyramid.gov.
- Test your taste buds: A healthy eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy and includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and nuts. “Those are the basics, but within this wide range there are always opportunities to try new things and find new favorites. Expand your horizons. Try a fish you’ve never eaten before or find a new vegetable recipe. By testing yourself, you might find new healthy favorites to add to your regular grocery list.”
- Trick yourself with treats: “A healthful diet doesn’t mean deprivation. If you have a sweet tooth, have fruit and yogurt for dessert. If you want a snack in the afternoon, have some trail mix or nuts. There is no reason to go hungry just because you’re making healthful changes.”
For more tips on building your healthful diet from the ground up, during National Nutrition Month and all year long, visit Eatright.com's For the Public site.
This material was reprinted from www.eatright.com. To discuss your nutrition needs or to make a diet plan, please call to make an appointment with one of our providers.
March is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is considered a heterogeneous disease-differing by individual, age group and even the kind of cells within the tumors themselves. Obviously no woman wants to receive this diagnosis, but hearing the words "breast cancer" doesn't always mean an end. It can be the beginning of learning how to fight, getting the facts, and finding hope.
Women in the United States get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer except for skin cancer. It is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in women. Each year it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. Don't be a statistic. If you are overdue for an annual breast exam or mammogram, please call our office for the appropriate exam.
Source material used in this summary were provided by the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For additional information, please visit the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month site or Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
To our Medicare patients
On March 2nd, the U.S. Senate voted to postpone for thirty days a 21.2% cut in Medicare payments to physicians. Medical groups are keeping pressure on Congress to enact a permanent, fair payment fix so that physicians don't have confront a reduction in compensation that may threat their ability to provide care for Medicare patients. Thank you to all our patients who wrote our Representatives asking to address this issue.