• Douglas M. Lakin
    Paradise Valley Medical Clinic
    Ph: (480) 614-5800
  • 9977 North 90th Street, Suite 180
    Scottsdale, AZ 85258
    Fax: (480) 614-6322

“FROM THE DOC” My Email Subject Line

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I have been doing emails with patients for 25 years, about as soon as AOL got started.

 

Although I’ve changed my email once,
OLD: douglakin@aol.com to
Current:  douglakin@doctordoug.com,

you can always find your old emails from me by searching for “FROM THE DOC.”

 

I have signed my emails to patients in this manner for 25 years.  So…if you are looking for an old email from me to see labs or comments…just search on your old email file    “FROM THE DOC”

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH ASPIRIN?

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Aspirin was invented by Bayer Inc. a little over 100 year ago.  Some of you may remember that in my previous essay  it was expected to be a small seller, compared with Bayer’s more exciting product that had such high hopes…HEROIN!   Yes…aspirin and heroin were born in the same year.

 

But you are concerned about aspirin and whether you should take one every day to prevent heart attacks and cancer to help you live longer.

 

The most recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds more light on this topic and suggests that the pro’s and con’s of baby aspirin fall slightly to the negative due to the increased bleeding that results from regular low dose aspirin use.   They did not see any definitive benefits in heart attack/stroke prevention or in cancer risk to support the use of regular baby aspirin.

This issue has been controversial for many years.  In England, they have never recommended daily aspirin use due to the controversy with the data.

I think this latest study is interesting, but not the ‘nail in the coffin’ for regular aspirin use.   This study was looking at 70 year olds across the board, without specific concerns in which aspirin would test to have a more positive result.

 

So…who should take aspirin:

  1.  Anyone with a history of heart disease or arrhythmia or a strong family history of heart disease.
  2. Anyone on statin medications
  3. Anyone with a strong family history of colon cancer, breast cancer, or prostate cancer
  4. Anyone with a history of colon polyps

Who should NOT TAKE aspirin:

  1.  Anyone with a history of stomach ulcer
  2. Anyone with a history of bleeding issues (gastrointestinal bleeding primarily)

For the rest…it’s a toss of a coin and you could consider taking or not taking aspirin.   For today (until the next study)……if you are in the more general category, you can hold.

MEDICARE NEWS: New 2018 Medicare Card Information!

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Medicare is Finally Upgrading Your Card – Here’s Everything yo…

We know that dealing with any changes or paperwork in your Medicare enrollment and benefits can be difficult. So we are here to help clarify what you need to do with the newly-upgraded Medicare cards.

Posted by Medicare World on Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Medicare currently uses a Social Security based ID number to identify people with Medicare and administer the program. On April 1, 2018 Medicare will begin the process of discontinuing Social Security numbers for identification and will begin sending new Medicare cards to Medicare recipients with new ID numbers.
            Your new Medicare ID number will replace the Social Security number that is currently on all Medicare ID cards. Your new Medicare number will be specific to you and should be protected as personally identifiable information but must be provided to your medical doctors so your medical claims can be billed. The ID number on your new Medicare card will be different than your current ID number, randomly generated, and have uppercase letters that are “non-intelligent,” which means they don’t have any hidden or special meaning.
            Moving to new Medicare numbers and issuing new Medicare cards requires a lot of change to the current system and it is a change that will be nationwide and gradual beginning no earlier than April 1, 2018 and running through December 31, 2019. This means your new Medicare card can arrive anytime within this time frame. Release of the new ID cards will be timed and controlled by Medicare. Your old Medicare cards should not be discarded but can be filed safely away.
            Your new Medicare card will not change your Medicare benefits and patients with Medicare should start giving the new Medicare cards to their health care providers as soon as they arrive. It is important to know the transition period for Medicare providers also begins on April 1, 2018 and will run through December 31, 2019. This means Medicare providers have until January 1, 2020 to begin exclusively billing with the new Medicare ID numbers. Some Medicare providers will begin using the new ID numbers as soon as April 1, 2018, others will be closer to the December 31, 2019 deadline. This decision is made on a case by case basis and is perfectly acceptable under the terms of the Medicare program. A provider may require you provide your “old” Medicare card in order to submit your claim, as long services were provided prior to the December 31, 2019 deadline this is also acceptable.
If you have questions, please contact Veronica, our Billing Supervisor.

COLON HEALTH

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The American Cancer Society is now recommended colon cancer screening begin at age 45 for those with routine risk of colon cancer.

This is based on recent evidence that colon cancer is increasing among the younger generation and that the routine of screening at age 50 is missing these patients.

Options for screening include colonoscopy, checking for microscopic blood in the bowel, and genetic testing of the bowel with the new Cologard Kit, with which we have had much success.

Additional recommendations include the following:

  • Regular screening is recommended through age 75 for those at average risk who have a life expectancy of more than 10 years.
  • For adults aged 76 to 85, clinicians should individualize the decision to screen.
  • Screening should be discouraged among those aged 86 and older.

Recommended Immunizations For Adults

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Keeping up to date on immunizations is a very important part of good health care planning.

 

Here is a list of vaccinations that Dr Lakin recommends for adults and information about each.

CLICK HERE!

 

We encourage you to review the list and welcome a discussion with Dr Lakin at your next physical to see what is best for you!

Introducing Genetic Testing by Myriad In Our Office

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Dr Lakin encourages all patients under the age of 65 to do the Hereditary Cancer screening quiz.
Please complete to find out your risk and bring the results in at your next annual physical!

The Myriad Hereditary Cancer test is a 28-gene panel that identifies an elevated risk for eight hereditary cancers:

A scientific advancement that will revolutionize hereditary cancer testing and patient care:

  • Blends genetic testing status AND personal/family cancer history into clinically actionable risk assessment and follow-up;
  • Provides specific medical management recommendations for patients who test positive or negative based on the guidelines of leading professional medical societies; and
  • Provides a test report that is simple, clear and easy to use.

Clear and Actionable Direction

The Myriad report provides recommendations for managing patients with either positive or negative genetic results.

Every Myriad test report includes:

  • The Myriad Genetic Test Result and
  • The Myriad Management Tool – a personalized cancer risk and management guide  based on professional medical society guidelines.

For More information, contact our office today!