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South Macomb Internal Medicine

Warren, MI

Vaccination

The Flu Shot: Your Best Defense from illness

One of the most important things that the flu shot does is help to protect your lungs from infection. The flu virus can cause a number of respiratory problems, including bronchitis, pneumonia, and even death. By getting a flu shot, you are helping to reduce your risk of developing these serious complications.

 

In addition to protecting your lungs, the flu shot also helps to boost your immune system. This is important because it means that you will be less likely to get sick in the first place. A strong immune system is key to staying healthy all season long, so getting a flu shot is one of the best things that you can do for yourself.

 

Finally, the flu shot is also an excellent way to protect those around you. If you are sick, the last thing that you want to do is spread the virus to others. By getting a flu shot, you can help to prevent the spread of the virus and keep those around you healthy as well.

 

When you shouldn’t get the flu shot:

 

There are a few exceptions when it comes to getting the flu shot. If you are allergic to eggs, for example, you should not get the flu shot. Additionally, if you are sick or have a fever, you should wait until you recover before getting the vaccine. Lastly, if you are pregnant, talk to your doctor before getting the flu shot to make sure that it is safe for you and your baby.

 

So, if you are looking for a way to protect yourself from medical problems, the flu shot is your best defense! Be sure to get one early in the season so that you can enjoy all that the fall and winter has to offer without worry. And, if you have any questions about getting a flu shot or how it can benefit you, be sure to speak with your doctor. They will be happy to answer any questions that you may have and help you make an informed decision about whether or not this vaccination.

 

If you have any questions about your health, our team of experts at South Macomb Internal Medicine are always here to help. Safe travels. At South Macomb Internal Medicine the patient comes first. Our priority is and always has been patient care before all else.

 

It’s Vaccine Season And We Are Here To Guide You Through The Options!

October 8th, 2021

Vaccine Season

 

Yes it’s that season again.

 

via GIPHY

Okay actually we are talking about VACCINE SEASON.  Hehe…

The Flu virus for example lives longer indoors in the winter, so we are just taking a quick break from our Improving The Patient Experience series to discuss vaccines and answer a few frequently asked questions.  Please keep in mind that this post isn’t meant to be the final word on all vaccines, and that we encourage you to call and ask us if you have additional questions!

Vaccine Season and Your Options:

Let’s address a few vaccines that you may already be considering and/or should consider.

  • Flu:  Flu shots are indeed safe and effective, are available for people over the age of 6 months and you can safely get one even if you’re egg allergic.  Folks over 65 can get the high dose vaccine which is a quadruple dose.  If you have any questions about the flu vaccine please let us know and you can make an appointment to get one with us.  Here is the CDC guidance on Flu vaccines.
  • Covid-19:  The Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective so please get one if you still have not.  If you have any questions about them please ask, and if you are over 65 please schedule a booster – a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine if it has been 6 months since your second dose.  For now this is for those who have had the Pfizer vaccine, and you cannot mix them.  In other words if you had two doses of the Moderna vaccine you cannot get the Pfizer vaccine for your booster dose.  The Covid-19 vaccines and the Flu vaccines are safe to get at the same time, but the Covid-19 vaccine is not administered at our office.  They are available at other locations including some pharmacies.  Call us and we can help you with that, and here is the CDC guidance on Covid-19 vaccines.
  • Shingles, Pneumonia, and Tetanus are all available as well.  Here is the CDC guidance on Shingles, Pneumonia and Tetanus.

There are other diseases which are preventable with vaccines, so if you have questions about any of them please call us and we can advise you, and here is the CDC guidance on all the available vaccines as well.

Please take care of yourselves this vaccine season as the weather starts to get colder, and we are here to help!

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South Macomb Internal Medicine

28401 Hoover Rd.  Warren, Michigan 48093

Phone: (586) 276-7530

South Macomb Internal Medicine has been designated a Patient Centered Medical Home by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/SMIMdoc!

Feel free to click on the categories and keywords below to find more content as we add more to the website!

 

Improving The Patient Experience: Part 1 – Covid & Flu Vaccinations

September 10th, 2021

By Dr. Scot Goldberg, MD

Hello everyone!  I hope you are doing well, and we are introducing a series around how we work towards improving the patient experience!  A little background on this and some highlights of the initiative as outlined by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan:

Medicare Star Ratings is a rating system developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help consumers find the best Medicare Advantage plan for them. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has two MA plans – Medicare Plus Blue℠ for its PPO members and BCN Advantage℠ for its HMO members.

The Patient Experience

Improving The Patient Experience

CMS assesses a member’s health plan experience through the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or CAHPS, member survey. The survey asks patients to report on their experiences with a wide range of health care services. A large portion of the CAHPS survey is driven by the member’s experience with his or her physician’s team, including such things as follow-up on labs and imaging, and getting timely doctor appointments.

And, most importantly for patients, a positive patient experience results in better adherence to protocol, better relationships with health care providers and a feeling of mutual respect between them and their medical team.

Covid-19 and Flu Vaccines

We know that our entire team can affect the health of patients and how they assess their health care experience, so we are going to discuss a number of points of emphasis starting with Covid-19 and Flu vaccinations!

First let’s talk about boosters.  The newest data coming out of Israel (which is administering the most boosters to date) is that they are very effective and safe.  We still are not sure if they are necessary because we haven’t seen a big increase in cases among vaccinated individuals.  We are happy to discuss your options with you.

As for Flu – the high dose is in and available and they are first come first served for those aged 65 and over.  We expect an increase in flu this year since people aren’t quite as socially distanced as they were at the height of the pandemic.

These are the types of very real questions that we know many of you have based on our interactions with you at our office.  We are doing our very best to keep up with the up to the minute data so that we can provide the best experience for our patients!  Check back for part 2 which will focus on hypertension!

Stay safe everyone! 

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South Macomb Internal Medicine

28401 Hoover Rd.  Warren, Michigan 48093

Phone: (586) 276-7530

South Macomb Internal Medicine has been designated a Patient Centered Medical Home by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/SMIMdoc!

Feel free to click on the categories and keywords below to find more content as we add more to the website!

Some Current Thoughts On Covid-19 – Delta and Where We Are Now

August 20th, 2021

By Dr. Scot Goldberg, MD

We have had plenty to say here on this blog about Covid-19.  We’ve covered plenty of angles from encouraging people to get vaccines, to remembering not to neglect your “other” (non-covid related) health, to myth-busting and more, and I wanted to add some current thoughts.  As we have seen this continues to be a fluid situation with the Delta variant now being the dominant strain and causing serious problems around our country.  There are still too many people who have not been vaccinated and the CDC is set to approve booster shots soon for those who have.

So what do you do?

Current Thoughts

Well, for starters we still can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get the vaccine if you have held out up until now.  We still feel strongly about this.  The vaccines are indeed safe and effective.  But beyond that we also say maintain a cool head and get back to the basics that we were using before there was a vaccine – washing your hands, using common sense with social distancing, using a mask indoors perhaps – just make good choices while we’re in this surge.

We also want you to read what we feel is an outstanding article published this week on KevinMD.com.  It goes into some detail about the Delta Variant and the vaccine, but there is no slant here.  No politics – this isn’t a big media source – just a doctor writing it, in fact a psychiatrist with some really interesting insights on this.  We encourage you to digest what is said here and share it with whomever needs to hear it from any standpoint.  That includes people who follow the science and those who don’t trust it.  Democrats, Republicans, anti-vaxxers & vaxxers, anti-maskers and maskers – anyone.  Let’s talk it out.  Let’s help each other.

Stay safe and call us with any questions!

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South Macomb Internal Medicine

28401 Hoover Rd.  Warren, Michigan 48093

Phone: (586) 276-7530

South Macomb Internal Medicine has been designated a Patient Centered Medical Home by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/SMIMdoc!

Feel free to click on the categories and keywords below to find more content as we add more to the website!

 

The Vaccine Is Becoming Available To All & Here Is Why You Should Get It

March 24th, 2021

By Dr. Scot Goldberg, MD

A year into the pandemic we are finally in the home stretch in terms of the vaccination rollout and getting back to a lasting bit of normalcy.  We clearly can’t let our guard down just yet with the virus currently surging in Michigan – and that’s not just some “disclaimer” – that’s serious.

But having said that the vaccine rollout is indeed rolling out – as of today 6000 doses per day are being administered just at Ford Field alone.  So we came across a great article about the vaccine(s) and with permission from the author I want to share it here and point out a few things.

The Vaccine Is Becoming Available To All & Here Is Why You Should Get It

Vaccine Is Becoming Available

 

So here is the article I’m referring to:

I’m a Doctor This is the #1 Worst Mistake You Could Make Right Now

Click the link above and give it a read.  The “mistake” is not getting the vaccine.  The doctor is Deborah Lee, MD.
This was written in February as the vaccine rollout was beginning but before it was available to vast segments of the population like it is now, so it bears repeating at this moment since more of us are able to get it.
The first few reasons are general facts about vaccines – they save lives, can eradicate diseases or at limit greatly viral infections from them and keep us from getting infected at all.  We know this.  Smallpox was wiped off the planet with a vaccine.
Every one of Dr. Lee’s 14 main points in this article are well put and important for you to read, including addressing folks who are immunocompromised and vaccine safety basics, but in the age of social media and sources of misinformation we want to call particular attention to number 11: “Debunking Vaccine Myths”.  Some of these myths are more ludicrous than others and we’ve seen worse – even in the comments of our own posts on Facebook once in a while!
Here is point #11 – from the article with permission:

Debunking Vaccine Myths

There are a whole host of incorrect facts being bandied about regarding the COVID vaccine. Please take a look at the following statements and rest assured these are all telling the truth:

  • The COVID vaccine will not change your DNA
  • The COVID vaccine does not contain material from a dead fetus
  • The COVID vaccine does not contain heavy metals
  • The COVID vaccine does not contain  a microchip
  • Vaccines are not a cause of autism
  • Just because the vaccine was produced in record time does not mean its not safe

If you want more details about all these points see this extremely eloquent post by Chris York at The Huffington Post.

So please, make an appointment.  Get the vaccine.  For your health and your protection.  For your fellow humans.  For the greater good and a back to normal life for all of us.

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South Macomb Internal Medicine

28401 Hoover Rd.  Warren, Michigan 48093

Phone: (586) 276-7530

South Macomb Internal Medicine has been designated a Patient Centered Medical Home by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/SMIMdoc for updates, articles and fun!

Call us and ask to be added to our email newsletter that comes out every couple weeks!

Telehealth and virtual appointments are still available as well as nutritional services with Nanette Cameron, RDN. Don’t forget to ask us for a $25 gift certificate along with a copy of Nanette Cameron’s cookbook The Perfect Day for trying dietary services with Nanette the first time for patients who have insurance coverage! Nanette is also available virtually!

Feel free to click on the categories and keywords below to find more content as we add more to the website!

 

Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine, Feeling Good and Ready to Care For You All!

January 8th, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine

We wanted to check in with an update to let you know as of this writing that Dr. Goldberg is two weeks and two days out from his first COVID-19 vaccine shot and he’s doing great!

COVID-19 Vaccine

 

That’s our guy!!!.

He had soreness in his left arm for one day which is actually a good thing.  A little soreness shows that the vaccine caused an inflammatory reaction – and that it’s working.  Otherwise he has been doing very well, and his second and final shot is next Wednesday!

We’re all getting the COVID-19 Vaccine!

Additionally Ascension sent an email that ALL associates and their staff can now come in for vaccines and so all of our South Macomb Internal Medicine Staff have been invited to get vaccinated!

COVID-19 Vaccine

 

We’re back OPEN and fully operational at the office – ready to serve and ready to care for you!  Better days ahead.  Everyone stay safe, masked, social distanced and well!

Stay tuned for updates and we’ll see you soon!

***************************************************************************************************************************

South Macomb Internal Medicine

28401 Hoover Rd.  Warren, Michigan 48093

Phone: (586) 276-7530

South Macomb Internal Medicine has been designated a Patient Centered Medical Home by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/SMIMdoc for updates, articles and fun!

Call us and ask to be added to our email newsletter that comes out every couple weeks!

Telehealth and virtual appointments are still available as well as nutritional services with Nanette Cameron, RDN. Don’t forget to ask us for a $25 gift certificate along with a copy of Nanette Cameron’s cookbook The Perfect Day for trying dietary services with Nanette the first time for patients who have insurance coverage! Nanette is also available virtually!

Feel free to click on the categories and keywords below to find more content as we add more to the website!