New Providers at TMG Primary Care and Pulmonology

The Medical Group is pleased to announce that two new providers recently joined our practice-both are assigned to primary care teams. They work full-time and their schedules have appointments available in the early morning and after 5:00 PM.

Bronwyn Sewell, NP
She came to our group from a practice in Rhode Island. Her training was completed at MGH, and she is board certified in adult health.

Bryn will concentrate in primary care. She is part of the Patient Care Team led by Drs. Driscoll and Narusevicius.

John De Jesus, PA
He practiced for several years in Boston with both primary care and specialty groups. Just prior to joining TMG he worked at Boston Medical Center.

John will have dual patient care responsibilities-pulmonology and primary care. He is working with Dr. Ruff as part of the pulmonology team and will provide primary care support across all of the teams.

DIABETES EDUCATION PROGRAM MERITS ADA RECOGNITION

The Medical Group is pleased to announce that we have been awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Our program, originally recognized in August of 2004, offers high-quality education services to our patients with diabetes.

The ADA Education Recognition assures that approved education programs have met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs. The recognition evidences that we have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide state-of-the-art information about diabetes management for program participants.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. One consequence of compliance with the National Standards is the greater consistency in the quality and quantity of education offered to people with diabetes. Participants in an ADA Recognized program are taught relevant self-care skills that will promote better management of his or her diabetes treatment regimen. All approved education programs include the following topics: diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medication; monitoring; preventing, detecting, and treating acute and chronic complications through risk reduction; goal setting and problem solving, and psychological adjustment.

Assuring high quality education for patient self-care is one of the primary goals of the Education Recognition program. Through the support of the health care team and increased knowledge and awareness of diabetes, patients can assume a major part of the responsibility for their diabetes management. Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management education.

Judy Consolante, diabetes education program coordinator at The Medical Group, commented that ADA Recognition helps patients identify quality programs."

For more information, contact Judy Consolante by phone at 978-232-7179 or email her at jconsola@themedicalgroup.net.

Interventional Cardiologist-Dr. Sheikh-joins The Medical Group

The Medical Group is pleased to announce that Dr. Mobeen Sheikh, an experienced cardiologist, has recently joined our cardiology team. He broadens the cardio/vascular capabilities of our practice.

Mobeen A. Sheikh, MD- Interventional Cardiologist Specializes in evaluating and caring for patients with conditions affecting the heart and circulatory system.

He completed his medical residency at the University of Connecticut and did subsequent subspecialty training in Cardiology and Vascular Medicine at the Medical University of Ohio and Cleveland Clinic respectively. Dr. Sheikh was on the staff at the Cleveland Clinic in the section of Vascular Medicine before embarking upon further training in Cardiac and Peripheral Vascular Interventions at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Dr. Sheikh joined the staff of The Medical Group in 2009 and has been responsible for establishing an evaluation and management program to treat patients with Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD:circulatory system), as well as offering patients the alternative of minimally invasive treatment (angioplasty/stenting) for blockages in the coronary (heart blood vessels) and (peripheral) vessels of the circulatory system.

Dr. Sheikh has authored several articles in leading peer-reviewed journals as well as contributed chapters to leading medical text books. He holds Board certification in the following specialties:

• Internal Medicine
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Interventional Cardiology
• Nuclear Cardiology
• Vascular Medicine; and
• Endovascular interventions

H1N1 Vaccine Available

We have received more H1N1 vaccine, and you can call our office to schedule an appointment for the injection. We are directly calling those patients that the CDC designated as the top priority but do not hesitate to contact us if you are in a category of being at-risk for this strain of flu.

H1N1 VACCINE

As you know from the news media, the supply of H1N1 vaccine is far less than the demand and production is well behind schedule. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is strictly managing the distribution of the vaccine, and they have established strict priorities as to who is eligible for the vaccine. The priority of individuals is listed below by rank order:

1. Children between the ages of 6 months and 9 years of age.
   
   
2. Pregnant women, members of households with infants under 6 months of age, members of households with pregnant women in their third trimester, and healthcare workers.
   
   
3. Individuals age 10-24 with high risk medical conditions.
   
   
4. Adults age 25-64 with high risk medical conditions.

Based on current indications from CDC, The Medical Group expects to periodically receive vaccines deliveries of 100 doses, maybe every week but there is no assurance of delivery. We are prepared to schedule patients for the vaccinations; however, with so few doses, the supply is rapidly exhausted. We will make our best effort to see that our thousands of patients at risk are vaccinated but under the current supply conditions, we must begin with patients that have the highest medical risk. We will contact the individual patients when we have an available supply of vaccine. Level of medical risk will be the sole determinant of when patients are contacted to get the vaccine, as it becomes available to us.

SELF ASSESSMENT FOR INFLUENZA-LIKE SYMPTOMNS

Typical flu symptoms include:

• Fever of over 99 degrees
• Muscle aches
• Cough
• Headache
• Eye pain
• Feeling very cold or having chills
• Feeling very tired
• Sore throat, runny or stuffy nose
• Vomiting or diarrhea

BUT if you:	OR if you:
Are unable to drink enough fluids (urine becomes dark; you may feel dizzy when standing) Have fever for more than 3-5 days Feel better, then develop a fever again Develop a productive cough with green or yellow mucous	Become short of breath or you develop wheezing Cough up blood Have chest pain when breathing Have heart disease (such as angina or congestive heart failure) and you develop chest pain Can't walk, sit up, or function normally

Related Links: CDC H1N1 information

TRAVEL CLINIC

The Medical Group is pleased to announce a new clinical service to assist patients. Click here for more information.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW WEBSITE!

The Medical Group is pleased to open a new website for patient reference and contact. As a multispecialty practice, we have a unique ability to provide broad based, quality care to our patients. Modernizing our website gives us the means of serving you better in the future as the site is enhanced—scheduling appointments, confirming appointments and procedures, communicating medical test results, monitoring, providing general healthcare information and seeking your comments on our services.

Providing medical care to you is an honor, as well as an important responsibility. As you know, healthcare faces growing challenges, such as convenient access, availability of resources, financing, and advancing technology. The Medical Group is committed to a long future of serving you well and providing the highest quality care.

Since our founding in 1972, The Medical Group has been privileged to serve generations of families, and we look forward to continue caring for you and your family for many years to come.