Southeastern Integrated Medical, PL

Concussions are a common occurrence for athletes. Both the young and the more experienced athletes are susceptible to these traumatic brain injuries. Concussions require prompt attention by health care professionals trained in the diagnoses and management of traumatic brain injuries. On March 18, 2013 the American Academy of Neurology issued a new evidence-based guideline for evaluating and managing athletes with concussions. The new guideline recommends:

Athletes with suspected concussion be taken out of the game immediately and not return until assessed by a licensed health care professional trained in diagnosing and managing concussion
Athletes with concussion should return to play gradually and only after all symptoms are resolved.
Athletes of high school age and younger with a concussion should be managed more conservatively than others before returned to play, as evidence shows they take longer to recover than college age athletes.
Although the guideline indicates that an athlete should immediately be removed from play following a concussion, there is insufficient evidence for absolute rest after concussion. Activities that do not worsen symptoms and do not pose a risk of repeat concussion may be part of concussion management.

The Urgent Care, Neurologists and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Medicine physicians at SIMED are trained in the diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injuries and are available to evaluate and manage your acute and post-concussion athlete.

To schedule an appointment with us please call:

First Care (Urgent Care)	(352) 373-2340
Southeastern Neurology	(352) 374-2222
Southeastern Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	(352) 373-4321

Or visit the on-line patient appointment request found here.

National Women's Health Week is May 12-18! Southeastern Women's Health Physician Dr. Linda Grover, gives us a quick update on the facts of Uterine Cancer and what are the preventative steps we can take to lower our health risks.

Despite the publicity given to ovarian and cervical cancer it is actually uterine cancer, also called endometrial cancer, that is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States. It is estimated that 50,000 new cases and over 8,000 deaths will be reported this year.

The risk factors are well known and in most patients these risks can be monitored and even treated. The main risk factor is an excess of estrogen either given as a hormonal supplement or produced by the body in certain conditions. Estrogen therapy unopposed by progesterone, tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer, obesity, chronic ovulation disorders and certain genetic conditions increase the risk of developing this cancer.

The main symptom of uterine cancer is postmenopausal bleeding of ANY kind including just spotting or staining. With prompt diagnosis and proper treatment this cancer can have an 80-90 percent five year survival.

So know your risk factors, call your doctor immediately for symptoms, and stay healthy.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Grover please call us at (352) 331-1000 or visit us at Southeastern Women's Health.

Did you know that 80% of Strokes can be prevented according to the National Stroke Association?

Have you ever asked yourself:
What are the dangers of a Stroke?
What are possible warning signs of a Stroke?
What can I do if I am in the process of having a Stroke?

Southeastern Neurology's Kraiyuth Vongxaiburana, M.D. (Dr. Vong) sheds some light on strokes and explains to us the dangers and warning signs.

Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death and is a major cause of disability.
40% of stroke survivors are left with moderate to severe impairment
Only 10% have complete recovery

While these statistics are scary, there are treatments available for certain types of strokes if they are recognized in time. Intravenous thrombolytic therapy is a potential treatment for certain types of ischemic (no bleeding) strokes but can only be administered within 4 1/2 hours of symptom onset. Therefore it is important to recognize the warning signs of strokes which include sudden onset speaking, weakness on one side of the body, numbness, confusion, or vertigo.

FAST is a useful acronym to remember:

FACE	Ask the person to smile. If one side of the face is weak or appears crooked this could be a sign of a stroke.
ARMS	Ask the person to lift both of his or her arms in the air--if he or she has difficulty lifting one arm this could be a sign of a stroke.
SPEECH	Ask the person to speak. If his or her words are slurred or they are unable to speak, they may be having a stroke.
TIME	If any of the above symptoms are present you must call 911 immediately in order to make sure that this person reaches the hospital FAST.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Vongxaiburana or our team at Southeastern Neurology, please give us a call at (352) 374-2222 on use our convenient online appointment request.

Southeastern Integrated Medical is excited to announce that we are continuing to grow to meet the area’s need in musculoskeletal medicine and pain management. SIMED has established pain management clinics in Gainesville, Chiefland, Ocala, and Lady Lake/The Villages and our physicians in these clinics provide services for the complete evaluation and treatment of patients with acute and/or chronic musculoskeletal sources of pain. We are pleased to welcome two new physicians to our team.

John Bailey, M.D. returns to the north central Florida area and will provide pharmaceutical and Interventional Pain Management services in our Gainesville and Chiefland clinics beginning June 1, 2013.. Dr. Bailey is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina, and following his residency in Anesthesiology, completed fellowships at the University of Florida in Addiction Medicine/Medical Pain Management in 2007, and then in Interventional Pain Management in 2012. He is board certified in all of the above disciplines. Appointments can be scheduled with Dr. Bailey at (352) 373-4321.

Michael MacMillan, M.D. joins SIMED June 24, 2013 after a distinguished career at Shands & UF and after providing many years of service in the north and central Florida areas. Dr. MacMillan completed his medical school at the University of North Carolina, and his Orthopedic Surgery residency at the University of Florida. Following fellowships in Switzerland, and Southern Illinois University, he returned to specialize in Orthopedic Spine Surgery. He is available for consultation in our Gainesville office on any spine surgical or potential surgical issue. Appointments can be arranged with Dr. MacMillan at (352) 332-7246.

You can also request an appointment with Dr. Bailey or Dr. MacMillan online.

Ever wonder how health and stress effect each other or how they can be related? Southeastern's Health Psychology Bernie Marrero, PhD explains the differences of good stress and bad stress and how they effect our health.

"Stress is an ever-present part of our lives. Who doesn’t have stress? The answer: nobody. In fact, we need stress. That’s right. Without stress, we are prone to personal stagnation, passivity and loss of motivation. "Distress", on the other hand, is when we are emotionally overwhelmed, panicky and disorganized to handle even the most basic life demands. We do best when we experience “Eustress,” better known as good stress, because it optimizes our ability to cope with the emotional challenge of chronic stress.

As a Health Psychologist, my educational background, training and experience in medical care involves working with patients, enabling their ability to cope with chronic stress. That is, patients who are challenged by chronic pain, mental, physical as well as emotional changes related to a medical condition. It could be unrelenting chronic pain subsequent to orthopedic surgery, loss of mobility due to a stroke, or even complete loss of mobility and independent functioning due to a spinal cord injury.

One of my favorite patients is a quadriplegic who is wheelchair dependent with chronic pain and loss of mobility of both upper and lower extremities. Why is this one of my favorite patients? Because, in my role to enable adaptive coping, I have observed this patient learn to live with Eustress and avoid Distress. As a Health Psychologist, I continue to witness this remarkable tenacity of the human spirit to cope with health related stressors."

- Bernie Marreo, P.H.D. Psychologist at Southeastern Health Psychology

To learn more about ways you can cope with health related stress or to schedule an appointment with one of our Clinical Health Psychologists, contact Southeastern Health Psychology at (352) 332-9441 or request an appointment online.

SIMED believes in providing the best possible care to our patients. Your opinion matters to us so let us know how we're doing! By taking our brief patient survey you can help us not only improve our customer service, but acknowledge our SIMED employees who are doing an exceptional job for you already.

Beginning April 1st, you can also help us recognize our outstanding SIMED employees by nominating them for our Starfish Employee Recognition Program if they've done something to Make Your Day while you were visiting a SIMED location.

It's easy! There are 3 ways to nominate any SIMED employee:

1. Through the Online Patient Survey
2. By Requesting a paper nomination form at any SIMED location
3. By telling any SIMED manager!

Let us know about the SIMED employees who have helped Make Your Day!

SIMED has been recognized as a Gold-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association for helping employees eat better and move more.

“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at SIMED. We are honored and excited to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a Gold-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite,” said Daniel M. Duncanson, MD, CEO. “We’re committed to providing the best workplace environment possible. The positive attitude and energy created by employees becoming healthier and more fit will transcend throughout the worksite producing positive results for them personally and for SIMED overall.”

The Fit-Friendly Worksites program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce by helping worksites make their employees’ health and wellness a priority.

American employers are losing an estimated $225.8 billion a year because of healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity, and those numbers are rising. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of regular physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. The American Heart Association is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.

For more information about the Fit-Friendly Worksites program and how it is helping to improve the health of Americans by focusing on an activity that is convenient, free and easy visit startwalkingnow.org.

SIMED is pleased to announce that our Southeastern Primary Care and SIMED specialty physicians, as well as SIMED ancillary services, are participating Tier 1 providers in the GatorCare Network.

Many of you have contacted our offices inquiring about your Primary Care Physicians and other members of your healthcare team. SIMED Primary Care providers will be able to continue to see you under the GatorCare Prime Plus and GatorCare Premium plan options.

If you are an existing patient, we thank you for allowing us to continue as partners in your health care. If you are a new patient under the GatorCare Network, we look forward to helping you with your healthcare goals.

To schedule an appointment with any of our SIMED providers, you may request an appointment online or contact one of our offices directly.

If you have questions regarding your plan or would like more information about SIMED, please call us at (352) 224-2200.

We invite you to learn more about the GatorCare Network by visiting their website at www.healthplan.ufl.edu.

Short on time?

Patients are now able to request a callback to schedule an appointment right from their computers! By clicking on the "Appointment Request" button on entering some basic information your request will be routed to our office and a staff member will contact you to schedule your appointment.

Simply click on the "Appointment Request" icon on the right.
Enter your basic information
Select the location you are wishing to be seen, the divison and the physician (or first available to reduce your wait time).

Within 24-48 business hours a member of our team will contact you to setup your appointment. It's that easy!