December is the time of year for gift-giving. Many of us are running around with our lists and packing our shopping carts full of DVDs, video games, holiday sweaters, and virtually everything imaginable for our loved ones. How many of those items will go back to be returned or exchanged the day after Christmas? Have you ever searched for the perfect gift that will always be useful, and never need to be returned, exchanged, or exiled to the back of a closet? This holiday season, consider purchasing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. EHRs will benefit you, your staff, and most importantly, your patients.

EHR systems benefit physicians in many ways. Before EHR, many of our physicians had to work late every night catching up on their documentation. Whether they were hand-writing charts, manually typing, or finishing up dictation, physicians can spend countless hours pushing papers. EHRs can eliminate paperwork and streamline your processes. You can use the extra time to focus on your patients, or leave the office early to spend with your family. Who wouldn’t want to spend more time with their loved ones around the holidays?

EHR systems can also help your office staff. Medical offices can be hectic places; your staff is probably bombarded with incoming phone calls and faxes, tracking down wayward charts, or helping patients that need to be checked in. EHR systems can reduce the fuss and give you a more relaxed work place. Digital faxing will eliminate constant inbound paper faxes, along with the need to manually file faxed paper work. Electronic charts can drastically reduce the time it takes to locate a patient’s files. Up to 60% of the charts your staff pulls daily could be from pharmacy or patient phone calls. EHR systems can cure your headaches and let your staff focus on your patients.

Finally, EHR systems can give the greatest gift to your patients, the gift of improved care. Electronic prescribing ensures that your prescriptions are filled accurately. There is no chance of a pharmacists misreading a script and potentially endangering your patients. Drug-drug and drug-allergy checks can prevent dangerous medication interactions from harming your patients. Formulary checks will ensure your patients get medications their insurance will cover. Order management can remind your patients to follow up on any labs or procedures you order for them. Patient portals and Personal Health Records allow your patient to become more involved in the healthcare process, giving them access to their health information.

If you are thinking about EHR, consider the reasons to purchase one this December. First, tax code 179 allows your practice to write off technology expenses up to $225,000 for systems purchased during 2009. Second, the HITECH Stimulus Act allocates federal money to reimburse physicians for purchasing and implementing a certified EHR. Third, purchasing in December will allow you to hit the ground running in January, so you, your staff, and your patients can start reaping the benefits of EHR. This holiday system, give the gift that keeps on giving. Give the gift of EHR.

I was recently looking at the news online and came across an article that talked about pills that have a positive effect on cancer prevention and/or treatment and why people don’t use them.

I don’t know about you but I’ve been taking multivitamins for years now and I’m all for taking medications that help prevent diseases as well. With such tremendous breakthroughs in technology over the past several years I personally have a lot of faith in most medications that the FDA approves and that companies market to help prevent diseases. I think the reason I’m so confident in these medications is because they have gone through rigorous testing prior to being approved. If a doctor suggested that I take a pill in order to prevent a disease I would do my own research before saying yes but most likely I would take the pill.

According to an article I was reading it appears that most people who are at high risk of certain cancers would rather not take a pill because they are afraid of side effects. And this is even after their doctor has explained that the benefits far outweigh the risks. This just doesn’t make any sense to me since the only other alternative might be a painful and agonizing death brought on by the disease. I must say the human psyche is very interesting in this regard. This is known as Omission Bias which means people tend to worry more about a low risk of harm from something they do than about a higher risk of harm from doing nothing.

I must say I’m truly amazed by this finding. I can’t say I have this bias since I have too much faith in technology nowadays. I think the media plays a big role in why people are so scared of side effects to be honest with you. I have to admit that I don’t watch the news very much because 99% of it is just negative. A common theme I see on the news is people dying from taking medications that were supposed to help them. Of course they usually fail to explain that of the 100,000 people taking a drug that only 5 have died from it. I do realize there are side effects to taking these kinds of medications but in all reality your risk of developing serious side effects are very low. I would rather take a pill knowing that there is a 95% chance I will benefit from it than a 5% chance I will have serious side effects from it. I think these are better odds than doing nothing and having a 99% chance that I will die from a particular disease because I was too worried about possible side effects.

There are many compelling reasons to visit a dentist regularly. Dental screenings check for a wide variety of problems, many of which are important to a patient’s overall health as well as their teeth and gums. In addition to a check for general oral health, the dentist screens for oral cancer, cavities, and early signs of gum disease. Regular visits assist the family dentist in getting to know patients’ habits and issues, increasing the ability to catch problems before they become health emergencies.

Routine dental screenings go further than patients may realize. A part of the procedure is a check for oral cancer. A regularly scheduled visit to the dentist provides the best screening for this cancer, which is curable unless it is discovered in the very late stages. Tobacco users are especially at risk; however, people with no known risk factors for oral cancer can still contract this disease. Recent studies have also linked the occurrence of oral cancer to the human papilloma virus, or HPV. Frequent dental check-ups are the best line of defense to fight oral cancer.

Regular dental check-ups provide an opportunity for the dentist to catch cavities before they develop into bigger problems. The dentist can spot tooth decay early on, and design a treatment plan that will keep the patient’s teeth healthy. Early intervention to stop minor tooth decay can prevent costly dental procedures and even loss of teeth down the road.

Dentists also check for the presence of gum disease during regular screenings. Gum disease, or gingivitis as it is called in the early stages, can be prevented through good dental hygiene and professional cleanings. In fact, some forms of decay, like tartar buildup, can only be eliminated by a dental cleaning. Gingivitis forms after plaque and other build up is allowed to remain (and decay) on the surface of the teeth and gums. While tobacco use and genetics contribute to the formation of gingivitis as well, regular dental treatment can help prevent the condition from developing into a bigger issue.

In advanced stages, gum disease becomes periodontal disease, which is truly a threat to overall health. This serious condition can lead to a patient’s bones breaking down, as well as tooth loss. Even more disturbing, bacteria that are present in a mouth full of infected gums can contribute to dire health issues such as heart disease and stroke.

Some researchers also suggest that gum disease raises the risk of developing diabetes. It is thought that infected gums can raise blood sugar levels, a contributing factor to this serious disease.

Surprisingly, current statistics show that the majority of Americans have gum disease in some form or another. This makes it all the more important to incorporate regular dental checkups in your plan to maintain overall good health.

Current recommendations suggest that adults and children should see their dentists at least every six months for a dental exam and cleaning. A regular visit with the family dentist is an essential weapon in the fight against very preventable conditions like tooth loss, gum disease, and oral cancer.