Join Our Team: Great opportunity for Family Practice Doctor, Med/Peds

April 29th, 2010

Reminiscent of family doctors of past generations, physicians in our group go beyond just an office practice. Current Health physicians make house calls to patients’ homes, offices, hotel rooms, or schools. We believe our practice provides a superior alternative to insurance-based primary care practices while minimizing the use of the emergency room for non-emergency situations.  We are online, on-time and on-call.

We are seeking board certified Family Practice or Med/Peds physician to join our established primary care practice. In our model, you will be able to spend more time with your patients as well as have more personal time. You will be fully supported and have a competitive full time salary with benefits and additional earning potential.

Essential Skills, Experience & Education

  • Board certified in Family Medicine or Med/Peds
  • Urgent care experience - competent in the following procedures: IV placement, foley placement, phlebotomy, arthocentesis, joint injections, I& D, laceration repairs
  • Willing to embrace technology.
  • Good personal organizational skills.
  • Ability to work independently with a team approach.
  • Enthusiastic about opportunity to provide healthcare in this innovative manner.
  • Lead and actively be apart of marketing efforts, and long term business plans for the company
  • Full time and Part Time positions available

If you possess the necessary qualifications for the job and you are interested in joining our dynamic team please email office@CurrentHealth.com with a cover letter and a resume.

All final candidates will have a through reference and credentials check, verification of past employment, and background check.

New Role: Vy Le appointed to the board of Current Health Medical Group

April 27th, 2010

It is with great sadness that we announce the departure of Chief
Operations Officer Vy Le from Current Health Medical Group. For the
past four years, Vy has poured her heart and soul into
developing our practice as a recognized national leader in
consumer-focused private medicine. The branding and marketing
expertise she gained while working at Gap Inc. prior to her position
with Current Health has influenced our direction and transformed us
into a leading brand during her time here.

Vy will be taking on the role of Vice President of Training
at Practice Fusion, a fast growing EMR company,
where her skills will impact health care on an even larger scale.

In her transition, Vy Le will be named a director on Current Health’s
board and will continue to provide insightful input towards our
growth. We are excited about Vy’s new role in Current Health and look
forward to maintaining a strong working relationship with her in the
future. As well as sitting on the Current Health board, Vy will
continue to influence the patient experience in doctors’ offices
across the country as a board member of Private Medical Marketing
Group.

Over the past several years, through both successes and failures, we
have been able to charter unknown territory and emerge as a brand that
is now recognized as the “revolutionary” (as noted by the AAPP) leader
in the space of direct pay practices.

I thank Vy for her dedication and support - it has been an honor to
work with her, and I look forward to our continued work together in
the future.

Sincerely,

Jordan L. Shlain MD
Medical Director
Current Health Medical Group

10 Everyday Pollution Solutions from the Environmental Working Group

February 9th, 2010

By Kate Naumes, ND

Environmental pollutants can have potentially damaging effects on our health.  Here are some suggestions for decreasing your exposure to environmental pollutants.

10 everyday pollution solutions from the Environmental Working Group


Use cast iron pans instead of Teflon
: High heat causes coating to break down and emit toxic particles and gasses including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses.

Limit canned foods: A study in March of 2007 showed that over 50% of canned foods were in a can lined with biphenol A (BPA), a toxic compound associated with birth defects. There are no government safety standards limiting BPA in canned foods.

Buy organic or eat vegetables and fruit from the “Cleanest 12” group and avoid the “Dirty Dozen” or the 12 with the highest pesticides:

  1. Cleanest 12: onion, avocado, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, papaya, blueberries
  2. “Dirty Dozen”: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, potatoes

Increase source of iodine such as seaweed, iodized salt and seafood: Perchlorate from rocket fuel has leaked into the water supply and is found in many common foods including produce and milk. A CDC study found perchlorate in urine samples of 100% of study participants. Perchlorate limits uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland and can induce hypothyroidism.

Seal outdoor wood structures such as decks and jungle gyms: Arsenic is a toxic material linked to cancer in humans which is used to protect wood from the elements. To find out how to test for arsenic and to learn 10 simple steps to reduce your family’s exposure, .go to the Environmental Working Group website www.ewg.org

Leave your shoes at the door: reduces dust-bound pollutants in the home.

Avoid perfume, cologne and products with added fragrance: Go to Skin Deep a site which lists the toxicity of cosmetics and personal care products.
Avoid products with polyurathene: see the green guide (www.thegreenguide.com ) for a list of products containing this chemical. It has been used in foam furniture, electronics, cell phones, carpet padding and as a flame retardant in sleep wear.

Eat low mercury fish: anchovies, calamari, crab, artic cod, oysters, tilapia, freshwater trout, whitefish, sole and perch. Wild Pacific salmon is high in good fats and low in mercury but has been over fished so should be eaten sparingly.

Drink and cook with filtered water: Not all filters remove all toxins.  For more information read “The Drinking Water Book- How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins From Your Water” 2006.

Excepts from the Environmental Working Group

H1N1 influenza is upon us…are you prepared?

November 17th, 2009

Here’s how you can minimize your risk of contracting H1N1 or “swine flu”:

• Have everyone in the household clean their hands often, using soap and water (or an alcohol-based hand rub, if soap and water are not available). Children may need reminders or help keeping their hands clean. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands.
• Cough into the crook of your arm or cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• If someone in your house is ill with fever and a cough, keep them away from other people as much as possible
• Remind the sick person to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water often. If soap and water are not available, they should use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after coughing and/or sneezing
• Antiviral medications can be used both to treat H1N1 and to prevent close contacts from getting it, so check with your health care provider to see if some persons in the home should use antiviral medications.
At CurrentHealth, we are ready to fight H1N1 head on:
• Our office has thought through and implemented a pandemic flu plan.
• We have H1N1 vaccine, N-95 masks, and Tamiflu/Relenza in stock
• When our patients can call, they can always talk to a physician.
• We keep up-to-date with all the latest pandemic H1N1 information nationally and in our community.
• We are sought out by Bay Area news stations as local experts on H1N1.

Some doctors’ offices are overwhelmed by the onslaught of calls for immunization or treatment. If you or your family have fever and cough and you need medical care, give us a call or schedule an appointment online. We can even do a medical housecall and minimize the risk of infecting others as well as diagnosing and treating you on the spot – without you or your child schlepping across town.

Call us at 415.732.7029 or visit us online at www.currenthealth.com. We’re here when you need us.

Report by one of the manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine finds not only is it safe, but 99 percent effective in protecting people from swine flu.

November 11th, 2009

By Lyanne Melendez

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A new report by one of the manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine finds not only is it safe, but 99 percent effective in protecting people from swine flu. That report once again stresses something all parents need to know about making the vaccine effective for their children.
Link to story: ABC 7

H1N1 Vaccine available at Current Health

October 9th, 2009

We recently received a limited quanity of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) manufactured by MedImmune LLC which is approved for persons aged 2-49 years.

In general, these are the target high risk group to administer H1N1 vaccine to:
• pregnant women

• persons who live with or provide care for infants aged <6 months
(e.g.,parents, siblings, and daycare providers),

• health-care and emergency medical services personnel

• persons aged 6 months--24 years, and persons aged 25--64 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

Please call our office (415) 732-7029 and ask to speak to a doctor to see if the LAIV vaccine is right for you. The administration cost for the vaccine is $27.43 (current discounts and promotional offers do not apply towards cost). We have a limited supply and will be administered on a first come, first serve bases and priority will be give to those classified in the high risk group

Here are some key points regarding the LAIV vaccine that we have received:
• Children younger than 2 years, pregnant women, and people with underlying conditions such as lung disease and diabetes — although they are at high risk for H1N1 complications — should not receive vaccines with the live attenuated virus. Instead, they should wait until inactivated injectable vaccines become available.

• Children aged 6 months–9 years receiving influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccines should receive 2 doses, with doses separated by approximately 4 weeks; persons aged ≥10 years should receive 1 dose

• None of the approved influenza A 2009 (H1N1) monovalent vaccines or seasonal influenza vaccines contains adjuvants (stuff used to augment the vaccine by stimulating the immune system). And, only the injectable vaccine in multi-dose vials contain thimerasol mercury which is used as a preservative.

• All flu vaccines (seasonal and H1N1) contain residual egg protein and should not be given to those with egg allergies.

• The age groups, precautions, and contraindications approved for the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine are identical to those approved for seasonal flu vaccines. In fact, the injectable vaccines are made by some of the same manufacturers and preliminary data indicate that the immunogenicity and safety of these vaccines are similar to those of seasonal influenza vaccines.

• Once vaccination programs and providers are meeting the demand for H1N1 vaccine among the persons in the five initial target groups, vaccination should be expanded to all persons aged 25–64 years. Current studies indicate the risk for infection among persons aged ≥65 years is less than the risk for persons in younger age groups.

GOOD NEWS: Surveillance data indicate that the 2009 H1N1 viruses have not undergone substantial antigenic change since they were first characterized in April 2009 and should be well-matched to the monovalent vaccine strain.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about H1N1 and the Flu from the CDC

Friends and Family discount

September 21st, 2009

Get 30% off your visit as a new patient. Please print the following flier and present it at the time of service. Only valid for new patients. Friends and Family discount valid through December 1, 2009.
Friends and Family

The Third Rail of Health Reform: Cost - Dr. Jordan Shlain

September 21st, 2009

A Critical Conversation
Today, the US Spends more on health care than any other country. But spending more does not make us healthier or live longer than people in other developed countries. The face suggest that we could spend less and get the same results or get better value from the amount that we do spend. To create a public dialogue about the most promising opportunities to improve value and reduce unnecessary spending in health care and gain accurate insights into these choices, the RAND corporation is hosting the high profile health summit. A key feature of today’s summit will be recognized innovators who have already demonstrated through their ground breaking efforts how to control health care cost. The Third Rail of Health Reform: Cost - Dr. Jordan Shlain

Preparing for the Flu Season

September 16th, 2009

The influenza virus is mostly spread from person to person, in respiratory droplets, by coughing and sneezing. Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object; and then touches their own mouth or nose (or someone else’s mouth or nose) before washing their hands.

Preventative Measures

Cover coughs and sneezes.

Clean hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often; especially after using tissues and after coughing or sneezing into hands. Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by a sick person in the trash. Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.

Stay home if you are sick and stay away from sick people.

Avoid close contact (less than about 6 feet away) with a sick person as much as possible.

Wear a facemask when sharing common spaces with people who have or are suspected of having influenza.

Using Facemasks

If you must have close contact with a sick person (for example, hold a sick infant), spend the least amount of time possible in close contact and try to wear an N95 disposable facemask.

An N95 facemask that fits snugly on your face can filter out small particles that can be inhaled around the edges of a facemask.

Wear a mask if you help a sick person with respiratory treatments using a nebulizer or inhaler, as directed by their doctor. Respiratory treatments should be performed in a separate room away from common areas of the house when at all possible.

Used N95 facemasks should be taken off and placed immediately in the regular trash so they don’t touch anything else.

Avoid re-using disposable N95 facemasks if possible.After you take off a facemask, clean your

hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

New look at healthcare insurance options. Find out which option is best for you and your family

June 10th, 2009

New look at healthcare insurance options. Find out which option is best for you and your family.