Home Towne Family Medicine

1/21/10

A new year, a new address. To apparently make it less confusing to patients, residents, and emergency responders, Burien City has decided to change our address. No, the building and the clinic did not move, being still on the corner of 156th and 3rd. However, the address is now based on 3rd Avenue instead of 156th Street. Correspondence that is sent to the old address will still get to us for a little while, but please change our address in your contact list, iPhone, Bill Pay, etc. Thank you, and sorry for the inconvenience.

11/11/09

Fall, Flu, Fun Well, it's fall again, and the leaves are marvelous this year due to the long fall. It's been mild, but it seems it's time for flu season. We have not had any seasonal flu yet, and all tested cases have been presumably H1N1.

I don't have to say much about H1N1 or flu-etiquette, as you have far too much of that in the news already. However, let me share our experience at Home Towne Family Medicine. Like the rest of King County, we have had our share of the H1N1 virus. The major complication has been pneumonia, although there has been some sinusitis. The majority of people with pneumonia were children or younger adults. Remember, when you have flu symptoms, you should be tested and treated within the first 48 hours, if you have severe symptoms or if you can spread it to the very old, very young, or those with chronic conditions.

Ready for some winter fun? Make sure you get all you flu vaccinations wherever you can, because we sure have not been able to get any vaccines, either from our supplier or the government!

8/18/09
Happy Anniversary! Today is the first anniversary of the opening of Home Towne Family Medicine.   We are excited to have been able to serve our patients and the community for the past year. We have seen growth in number of physicians, staff, and patient base.

In the new year, we endeavor to continue to provide excellent health care to our patients. As we move toward a new national model of healthcare, we will endeavor to be a true medical home for our patients.

6/21/09
Sumer is here. Can you believe the 30 days of no measurable rain in Seattle? It sure made everyone's allergies worse. Remember to take your Zyrtec, but come in if your allergies are not controlled despite Zyrtec, or if you feel anything else such as sinuses flaring up.

Summer is a great time to catch up on your health as well. Go cycling, hiking, and enjoy yourself! Get some fresh summer produce at the market. When you get bored with that, you can always come in for your annual check-up and physical.

4.2.09

A big welcome to Dr. Johnson and his team, Regina and Jeanine.   Both Regina and Jeanine were with Dr. Johnson in his Tukwila practice, so they will work as a cohesive team as before, just in a different location.

As a Doctor of Osteopathy, Dr. Johnson will continue his practice of manipulative medicine as well as family medicine. We will gain his vast experience in medicine and osteopathic skills. He and his staff will gain support of a larger office, with cross coverage for both clinical and office functions. Together, we will both prosper.

2.8.09
As we officially move into a recession, many companies are cutting their health benefits. Worse yet, some are cutting actual jobs. However, health experts warn that one should not neglect health during these tough economic times. If possible, keep tail coverage with COBRA. Also, new economic realities may bring new opportunities for various programs, especially children. Thank god for the recent signing of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). See covertheuninsured.org for great tips.

At Home Towne Family Medicine, we will continue to do our part in keeping you healthy. Will will track health indices, performs screenings, and treat chronic conditions so that your health is optimized. Together, we will do more than survive.

1.8.09

A New Year: Christmas and New Year has come and gone. I hope you all have had a good holiday season. Luckily, everything is getting back to normal after the snow and rain storms.

It's time to look at your New Year resolutions and see how we can help you achieve your health goals.

12.22.08

Holiday/Snow Hours: Christmas is coming, and Santa is trying to make it all white for the Pacific Northwest. During this winter storm and through 12/31, we will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until the last patient is seen. We will also be open until the last patient is seen on Christmas Eve. We will be closed Christmas Day and New Years Day. Enjoy the snow!

12.18.08

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to all. It's been 4 months since we have started. Many more patients have found our new clinic. The response to the new environment has been positive, and a lot of people found the evening hours really convenient for those who work. A big thank you to all the staff for making the clinic a big success. especially through the last few days of winter wonderland.

9.15.08

Here we are, almost one month from our grand opening. Many patients have found us, even with the confusion of the wrong phone number in the letter. Stay well, but come in when you need us !

8.18.08

We had a great Grand Opening. Many of our friends, family, and patients showed up to wish us well. A big thank you to all our friends who made this opening day a special success. We even got flowers! Everyone loved the decor, the cucumber water, and the entertainment. If you haven't done so, why don't you come on in and just visit?

7.18.2008

Are you excited? We are! The clinic is all painted, and now we just have to furnish and decorate!

7.1.2008

We are starting to build our website. If there is something you like to see, please send us a message!

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Clinic Logo Since
8.18.2008

Home Towne Family Medicine is a new style of clinic that combines the latest technology, up-to-date medicine, comfortable surroundings, and attention to personal service. To make it easy, we offer evening hours, and can usually accommodate you on the same day if you call in the morning.

Want to read more about our philosophy? Click here

Central Burien location
Comfortable spa-like atmosphere
Convenient evening hours
Personalized service
State-of-the-art medicine

Announcements

11/11/09 - A New Phone System with Voice Menus

Those of you who called recently might have noticed a change - a new phone system. I know, it's always nice to have a real person answer the phone. However, since we are a small family-style clinic, the one person who sits in the front is often busy doing the other real-person thing - helping actual patients in the clinic. That means that she is often interrupted if she has to answer every phone call, even if just to transfer it. And of course, we do not like to be put on hold either.

So, the compromise is that we have installed a new phone system with initial voice menu to direct the call to the appropriate person. We hope this initial triage will lessen the load for the front person, so that she can better serve both in-clinic patients as well as those who truly need her services. If you know the number for the person you wish to speak to, you can press it as soon as you hear the menu, so you should not be much delayed. Thank you for your understanding and indulgence.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of healthcare call for us primary care physicians to do more than treat today's problems and serve as gateways to specialist care. Instead, we will partner with our patients to adopt a strategic approach to guiding patient care, in a coordinated and holistic manner, with quality enhanced by evidence-based guidelines and appropriate use of information technology. Home Towne Family Medicine is built on the same principles, and has been acting as the medical home for many patients who believe in the same philosophy. Together, we will usher in a new era in national healthcare.

click here to go to the National Center for Medical Home Implementation website.

HITECH Ready

Dnagling HITECH Our clinic is ready for the HITECH Act. We are already using an Electronic Health Record (Amazing Charts) and electronic prescribing (DrFirst Rcopia). We use and share health information from Highline Medical Center. We hope to help bring more clinics in our community to the same functionality by 2011.

Dr. Karl Johnson

Dr. Karl Johnson, D.O. and his patients have settled into our new clinic. They enjoy the fresh new look, friendly atmosphere, and cozy surroundings.

Dr. Johnson and Dr. Choi are also enjoying a great collegial relationship. Dr. Choi likes to work in metabolic medicine and psychiatry, whereas Dr. Johnson is expert in musculoskeletal medicine. Hallway consults are common. Their patients also often visit the other doctor to get the best of both worlds.