Pacific Direct Primary Care

02/25/2025

Lots of flu going around. If you have abrupt onset of fever and body aches, it is likely flu. New home tests can check for Covid and flu with a simple nostril swab in 15 minutes. It’s not too late to get your flu shot!

10/25/2024

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Some fast facts:

-We are seeing younger women with breast cancer
-General starting age for yearly mammograms is 40
-Self breast exams are helpful, but mammograms remain the best tool to detect cancer
-Dense breast tissue can make it difficult to see cancers
-Most women that get diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history
-Enhanced screening with ultrasound and MRI may be appropriate for women with particularly high risk (https://bcrisktool.cancer.gov)

10/01/2024

Couple of Covid related updates:
-Order 4 Covid home testing kits for free.
-Check expiration dates on any kits you have at home currently. FDA has extended expiration dates for some kits.
-Get vaccinated! Newest vaccines are targeted to the current variants. Check with your local pharmacy for availability and appointments.
-If you have had strong reactions to the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), consider getting the Novavax version (non-mRNA).

https://covidtests.gov

09/24/2024

A patient got a $520 bill from the lab. Turns out the lab mistakenly billed the patient (who doesn’t have insurance) instead of my practice which gets heavily discounted cash pay rates. Actual cash price through DPC was over 90% off!

DPC for the win!! 👍

08/31/2024

If you have Medicare Advantage plan and always wondered why they were so keen on getting your Medicare Wellness Visit done by your P*P or even a nurse coming to your home, this article describes why they are so incentivized.

Questionable diagnoses of HIV and other maladies triggered extra Medicare Advantage payments. “It’s anatomically impossible,” said one doctor about some cataract diagnoses.

08/31/2024

I often get asked how much alcohol is ok (or even good) for people. The answer has evolved over time as we gather more data about the health effects.

The short answer is "less the better," but like many things, it is more nuanced than that.

This article and podcast is a balanced summary of where the current medical (and my own) perspective is.

Alcohol is riskier than previously thought, but weighing the trade-offs of health risks can be deeply personal.

04/28/2024

TDAP vaccine is a combo of Tetanus and Whooping cough vaccines. The tetanus portion of the vaccine is generally considered effective for 10 years, whereas the whooping cough portion may be effective for around 4-5 years. You can get a booster at most pharmacies. Many like Costco, Walgreens, CVS, etc offer online scheduling.

Lane County Public Health officials are reporting an increase in 'whooping cough' cases with 13 cases so far in April 2024, the county said.

04/08/2024

What a honor!

03/06/2024

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. This video of Ryan Reynolds losing a bet and then having to film his colonoscopy always cracked me up.

Screening used to start at age 50, but was dropped down to 45 due to the increased numbers of colon cancer in younger people.

Colonoscopy is the gold standard, but stool based tests like Cologuard can be done as well. Have you been screened?

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney invite cameras to document their first colonoscopy in order to raise awareness about cancer screening. "CBS Mornings"...

01/01/2024

Top 10 Favorite Things about Direct Primary Care - #1

01/01/2024

Top 10 Favorite Things about Direct Primary Care - #2

01/01/2024

Top 10 Favorite Things about Direct Primary Care - #3