HealthWise Summer 2017 – Heart Disease, Lyme Disease, Board Certification

Welcome to the summer edition of HealthWise, the newsletter of Maryland Primary Care Physicians. In this issue, you’ll learn how “knowing your numbers” can prevent heart disease, why Lyme disease cases are on the rise, and how our doctors’ board certifications mean better care for you. Read on and feel free to share these health tips with friends and family.

In this issue: Heart Disease | Lyme Disease | Know Your Numbers | Certification

Taking Control of Your Heart Disease Risk By: Dr. Falana Carter

There are two types of risk factors for heart disease – things you can control and things you can’t. In this 90-second video, Dr. Falana P. Carter gives us a rundown of these risk factors and what we can do to limit their impact on our heart health. Watch the video to learn more...

Watch the Video

Bad Tick Season May Lead to More Lyme Disease By: Dr. George Cavanagh

Following a mild winter, Maryland’s tick population was expected to explode this summer. This could lead to a record number of Lyme disease infections in 2017. Warmer winters allow black-legged ticks, which are the chief carriers of Lyme disease, to remain active longer and spread the illness into new regions of the country...

Heart Disease Q&A: Knowing Your Numbers With Dr. Falana Carter

Q: Isn’t heart disease something out of our control – you get it or you don’t? A: There are two types of risk factors: things you can’t control and things you can. The things you can’t control are your genes: they may predispose you for high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes...

Board Certified for Better Care By: Michael Riebman, MD and MPCP President

If you look at the online profiles of our doctors, you’ll see they are “Board Certified” in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Cardiology. This is an important distinction for physicians, and it gives you additional assurance that you and your family are receiving the best possible care. A little background: To practice medicine, doctors must undergo years of rigorous training...

MPCP News:

We're Growing! Please join us in welcoming these new medical staff to MPCP:

Sirisha Donekal, M.D., Columbia Cardiology
Abby Griffin, FNP, Pasadena office
Linda Rainey, M.D., Glen Burnie office

Medicare Wellness Visits If you’ve had Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months, you are entitled to an “Annual Wellness” screening visit. Your MPCP provider will help you develop or update a personalized prevention health plan. This visit is covered once every 12 months (11 full months must have passed since the last visit), so contact your MPCP office to schedule an appointment.