Out of office 9/23/11 information

For registered patients in my practice who need to reach me or the physician covering for me while the office is closed, please call 888-470-1117 for more details.

Please refer to the previously published list of urgent care centers if needed during this time.  In any event, please do not delay seeking urgent care if needed.

Late Summer News—Flu shots are in stock!

The office will be closed for a late summer holiday from Friday September 23 until Monday October 3, 2011.  More information will be posted next week for you regarding care while I am out of the office. Also, please refer to the previous post for locations of local Urgent Care Centers as needed.

Seasonal influenza vaccine season is here! It is that time of year again. I am giving vaccinations during regular office appointments, or you can check my schedule on Appointment Quest for upcoming FLU VACCINATION CLINIC dates.

The CDC website has loads of information about seasonal influenza http://cdc.gov/flu/

Here’s to a healthy fall!

Office will be closed from 6/25/11 to 7/5/11

I will be out of the office beginning on Saturday June 25 and returning to the office on Saturday July 2.  During this time the office will be closed and I will not be available on my cell phone for emergencies.  Please note that the office will be closed Monday July 4th in celebration of the holiday. Regular office hours resume Tuesday July 5th.

Patients who need urgent medical care while the office is closed should contact one of the local urgent care centers in the area to be evaluated and treated.  A full list of local urgent care centers can be viewed here:

http://www.mcms.org/downloads/After%20Hours/After%20Hours%20Guide.version_24pdf.pdf

I usually refer to the Eastside Urgent Care, Immediate Care East, Lifetime Health or Rochester Immediate Care.  Of course the Emergency Department is available when these centers are closed or if you have a serious medical problem that needs urgent attention.

If you need to speak with a physician about an emergency matter that occurs outside of the normal operating hours of these clinics, or have a concern that can not wait until I am back in the office, please call the physician covering for me at 585-943-4579.

If you need to contact me regarding routine matters, such as prescription refills, questions about test results, or non-urgent concerns that can wait until I am back in the office, please leave me a voicemail at 888-470-1117 and I will respond when I am back in the office for regular business hours on Tuesday July 5th.  Please note that email should never be used for urgent medical concerns and I will not be checking email regularly while I am out of the office.

Thank you for understanding and I wish everyone a Happy 4th!

Lisa Schwartz MD

Memorial Day 2011

The office will be closed on Monday 5/30/11 in celebration of Memorial Day. Please call the office at 888-470-1117 if needed on Monday. Have a great weekend!

April 2011 schedule update

The office will be closed on Tuesday 4/19/11 for technical upgrades.  Thanks for understanding.

Questions regarding radiation release from Japanese nuclear reactors

With attention focused on the aftermath of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I am attaching a link to provide information to readers about the use of potassium iodide tablets for people who are affected by nuclear power reactor accidents.  Potassium iodide blocks the uptake of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland, thus helping to reduce the long term risk of thyroid cancer in people exposed to high doses of radiation.

www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/about-emerg-preparedness/potassium-iodide/ki-faq.html

March 2011 Schedule Update

Regarding my schedule this month, a quick notice to let you all know that the office will be closed from March 17 through March 21, 2011.

From March 17 through Sunday morning March 20th Dr. Marci Chodroff will be covering my practice for emergencies. Her contact information will be available by calling the office.  The office will be open for regular office hours again on March 22nd.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and OTC medications

Beginning in 2011, some health plans that allow you to use pretax earnings to pay for health expenses through a FSA are now requiring written prescriptions from a health provider to purchase over the counter medications, such as antacids, antihistamines, and pain medications. This places an undo burden on patients and health providers in my opinion, and hopefully this requirement will be repealed in the future. However, if you are in need of such prescriptions, please make an appointment to see me in the office to obtain those prescriptions, as I will not be able to accommodate these requests over the phone or email.  For low cost items, it may make sense to just pay out of pocket.

UPDOX secure patient portal

For patients who prefer to get their lab results electronically, you may have noticed a new format from UPDOX, a more secure patient portal that I have been using for a couple of months to communicate electronically.  Some email servers have been routing these messages to SPAM or junk mail folders, so if you are expecting results from me and have not seen them please check those email folders on your computer.  Thanks!

Thanksgiving schedule

Just a quick note to let you all know the office will be closed on Thursday and Friday this week for the holiday.

I wish everyone a healthy, relaxing and happy Thanksgiving!