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9/28/11
Autumn has arrived, and it's time for another
newsletter. Please see announcements (to the
right) for our technological advances, including a
patient portal and payment online. Read our
newest newsletter here,
but of course you will also receive one in the mail
soon.
4/26/11
My staff say that I am a bear sometimes.
That's my excuse for hibernating from updating this
website for the last few months. But fear not,
spring is finally here! Read our
newsletter here, also coming to a mailbox near
you soon!
10/19/10
Another beautiful summer has come and gone, and now
we are into our lovely fall (flu?) season. For
us allergy sufferers, remember to get a thorough
cleaning of your air ducts and replace the filters
before the furnace kicks on. Also, we are
anticipating a stormy cold winter, so winterize your
home now, and prepare for power outages.
We have already seen many people with the flu.
Because of the early flu season, and because the
current CDC guideline says everyone over 6 months
should be vaccinated, we are going through our flu
vaccine supply quickly. Get yours soon!
Did you get our 2nd clinic
newsletter in the mail? It has a picture
of our vintage Airstream trailer. Click the
link to see it.
4/9/10
Despite the
recent 25 inches on snow at the passes, spring is in
the air. I am sure most of you have gotten
over the worst tree pollen allergy season in the
last decade. Remember to continue to treat
those allergies to avoid future problems such as
chronic sinusitis. Also, the H1N1 threat does
not seem to be over, with new cases in the
Southeast. Get your H1N1 vaccine if you
haven't done so.
I am sure most of you have
read about health care reform. Scroll to the
right of this screen to see a summary of what
affects you this year and beyond.
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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 Since
8.18.2008
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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
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- Central Burien location
- Comfortable spa-like atmosphere
- Convenient evening hours
- Personalized service
- State-of-the-art medicine
Announcements
9.26.11 - Our Sympathies to
Whitney
 After
a great pregnancy, Whitney gave birth to
a 7-pound baby Mason. Unfortunately, a
few days after his birth, Mason fell
ill. Despite the best efforts of the
pediatric intensivists at Swedish, he
passed away at ten days of age. We were
all shocked and dismayed as we share in
Whitney’s sorrow. We will miss our
little angel who gave all of us great
joy for such a short time. Our hearts
and prayers go out to our dear Whitney
and her family.
9.1.11 - Online
Payments
We have changed to a new vendor,
Solveras, for merchant processing. These
are the folks who process your debit or
credit card payments for us. With
this new vendors comes new capabilities
to accept payments over the phone and on
line. If you want to use the
online payment option, please click the
Online Payment link at the right bottom of this page.
Currently, Solveras can only accept
Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
8.15.11 - UpDox Patient
Portal
For those patients who use the
internet and email, we now have a secure
method of sending you messages and
attachments, such as lab results.
In order to use this service, make sure
you give your email address to the
reception staff next time you come in.
Once you receive your email from us, we
will email you to activate your UpDox account and
start receiving messages and documents
from us. You will be notified by
email each time we post a message for
you in UpDox.
At this time, we will not be
monitoring UpDox for incoming messages.
For administrative matters, please email
our director at
kmc@hometownedoc.com. For
clinical matters, please call and leave
messages for our medical assistants.
3.1.11 - Annual Wellness Visit
This year, Medicare is providing an
opportunity for Medicare recipients to
review their preventative care.
This benefit, called the Annual Wellness
Visit, provides a planning opportunity
for covered preventative services.
These visits may stand alone, or can do
done in conjunction with a
problem-focused visit. If you have
not already done so, book yours today!
9.1.10 - Welcome, externs!
We have partnered with area schools
such as PIMA Medical Institute as a site
to provide much-needed real-clinic experience
after the completion of their classroom
learning in their medical assistant
certificate program. We hope this
will help with this area's medical
assistant shortage.
4.9.10 - Health Care Reform:
Patients
Have you read all the pages of the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, signed in to law by President
Barack Obama on March 23, 2010?
Here's the link if you want the
entire bill, or
here's the
summary. If not, here's the
short version of how will impact
patients.
It bars health insurance companies
from denying coverage to individuals
with pre-existing conditions – the ban
takes effect for children six months
after enactment, and for all others
starting in 2014;
Within six months after enactment, it
will prohibit health insurance companies
from dropping people from coverage when
they get sick;
Within six months after enactment, it
bans health insurance companies from
placing lifetime caps on coverage;
It eliminates cost sharing on
recommended preventive services
delivered by Medicare and all insurance
plans available in the Health Insurance
Exchange;
It begins to close the Medicare Part
D coverage gap for Medicare
beneficiaries who have surpassed their
prescription drug coverage limit;
It establishes 50 state-administered
insurance marketplaces to allow small
businesses and people without employer
sponsored coverage to buy insurance that
meets new federal standards; and
It expands Medicaid to cover
everyone earning less than 133 percent
of the federal poverty level, or $29,327
for a family of four.
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
 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.
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