How long is it safe to keep the turkey in the fridge after the Christmas dinner?

 

Here’s a complete safety guide for thousands of foods and beverages. You can keep this on your computer desktop and refer to it daily. http://www.stilltasty.com/     Click on- a question:   Can You Freeze Cheese Successfully? Should You Wash Grapes Before Storing Them? Is it OK to Put Hot Food Directly Into the Fridge? Is Bottled Water Still Safe To Drink After the Expiration Date? Can You Safely Eat Chicken That’s Been Frozen for Two Years? Do You Have to Refrigerate Strawberries? How Can You Tell if a Watermelon is Ripe? Can You Stop Bananas From Spoiling Too Soon? Is it OK to Thaw Steak on the Counter? Should You Keep Potatoes in the Fridge? Can You Freeze Raw Eggs for Later Use? Is Yogurt Still Safe After the Sell-By Date? Do You Have to Thaw Frozen Chicken Before Cooking It? How Can You Tell if an Avocado is Ripe? Does Pure Honey Ever Go Bad? Is it OK to Refreeze Fish That Has Already Thawed? Should You Store Bread on the Counter or in the Fridge? Are Eggs Still Safe After the Expiration Date? How Long Can You Keep Thawed Ground Beef?

ALL HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL RECOMMENDED TO HAVE FLU VACCINE.

 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee recommend that all U.S. health care personnel (HCP) be vaccinated annually against influenza. (*)

 

Three reasons for Healthcare Personnel (HCP) to get vaccinated against Flu:

1. It reduces transmission of flu among HCP, their families and their patients.
2. It reduces HCP absenteeism by 22-52%.
3. It decreases long-term care facility patient flu mortality by 42-44%.

 Three ways for Healthcare Facilities can increase HCP Flu vaccination rates:

1. Offer free vaccination onsite.
2. Personally remind employees to get vaccinated.
3. Require employees to get vaccinated.

 

The flu season usually runs from November through March. Some years, cases continue into April and May. For the last 25 years, the heaviest flu activity has occurred in February.

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Influenza viruses can cause disease among people of any age, but rates of infection are highest among children. Serious illness and death are highest among persons ages 65 or older, and children ages 2 and younger. People of any age with certain medical conditions (e.g., congestive heart failure, asthma, diabetes), or who live in some type of long-term care facility are at risk for serious complications.

Experts agree that hand-washing can help prevent viral infections, including ordinary influenza and the swine flu virus. Also not touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands helps to prevent the flu.  Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows small droplets containing the virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the eyes, nose or mouth.

In all cases, please consult with your physician to determine which vaccine will be best suited for you.

 

(*) Reference

CDC. Influenza vaccination of health-care personnel: recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 2006;55(No. RR-2).

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN BUYING A DENTAL PRACTICE…

 

DON’T MAKE THIS COMMON MISTAKE WHEN BUYING A DENTAL OFFICE… Have you ever thought,    “Wow, how lucky I am to find such a beautiful office at such a reasonable price!”

Aside from the salient features like price, size, appearance and whether there is an existing patient base, here are some other factors to discuss with your Broker. An experienced licensed real estate consultant is the most qualified person to help you get needed information to match yourself with a location designed for success,

Do you want to live close to where you work?
Will the seller help with the transition of patients? Do you want him/her to?

What do you know about the employees you may be inheriting?

Will you want to replace any of them?

What services are the prior patients accustomed to receiving?

Will you be able to provide those services?

How long has this “opportunity” been on the market?
What is the REAL reason the existing dentist is selling?

What is the ratio of Comprehensive services to Problem-focused only services?

What are the demographics of the area within 1, 5, and 10 miles? The age distribution, property value, etc.

How do my practice philosophy and my skills match up with the demographics of the area?

Are there any inefficient or incompatible systems in the administrative or clinical area?

What other factors would YOU want to know before making a purchase decision?

If you would like to speak with the Broker, Give Doctor’s Choice Companies a call! (561) 746-2102

SAVE YOUR WISDOM TEETH- You may need them later!

Scientists in Japan have been successfully harvesting stem cells from wisdom teeth. This is of great clinical importance, as wisdom tooth extractions are a relatively common type of oral surgery. Patients who have their wisdom teeth removed are currently able to opt to have stem cells from those teeth isolated and saved, in case they should ever need the cells.

It will be welcomed by many who argue against the ethics of using embryonic stem cells. The breakthrough is significant because it avoids the ethical problem of using embryonic stem cells – wisdom teeth are usually thrown away – and it is easy to stock wisdom teeth.

Having such a plentiful source of donors means scientists could produce stem cells with a range of genetic codes, increasing the chance that a patient’s immune system will not reject the transplanted tissue or organ.

Scientists at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said they used wisdom teeth that had been frozen for three years after being removed from a 10-year-old girl.

In addition to this, Dentistry.co.uk recently reported on the use of baby teeth as a source of stem cells by a UK company.

Wisdom teeth can be transplanted to replace lost molars. Rejection applies to teeth just like it does to other body tissue and donor trials so far have been unsuccessful.

A wisdom tooth, in humans, is any of the usually 4 third molars. Wisdom teeth usually appear between the ages of 17 and 25. About 35% of the population do not develop wisdom teeth at all.

 

In the radiograph above the lower left wisdom tooth is horizontally impacted. The lower right wisdom tooth is vertically impacted.

 

Wisdom teeth are extracted for two general reasons: either the wisdom teeth have already become impacted, or the wisdom teeth could potentially become problematic if not extracted. Potential problems caused by the presence of properly grown-in wisdom teeth include infections caused by food particles easily trapped in the jaw area behind the wisdom teeth where regular brushing and flossing is difficult and ineffective. Such infections may be frequent, and cause considerable pain and medical danger. Other reasons wisdom teeth are removed include misalignment which rubs up against the tongue or cheek causing pain, potential crowding or malocclusion of the remaining teeth (a result of there being not enough room on the jaw or in the mouth), as well as orthodontics.

Interesting fact. Agenesis (The failure of an organ to develop during embryonic growth and development) of wisdom teeth in human populations ranges from practically zero in Tasmanian Aborigines to nearly 100% in indigenous Mexicans.   (Lucky Mexicans!)  The difference is related to the PAX9 gene.

WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET? Third Party Dental Payment Plans

Third Party dental payment plans are a very good option for patients to obtain needed services. There has been an “evolution” in this industry. Five years ago there was “good old American competition” between companies that financed dental services: CapitalOne Health Care finance, Dental Fee Plan, Unicorn Financial, CareCredit, and Wells Fargo.

 

Through bank mergers and economic changes it seems like today CareCredit is as synonymous with 3rd party dental lending as Kleenex is with facial tissues. Most dental personnel don’t use the term “Third Party Lender” anymore. It makes me smile a little when I hear one of my clients tell a patient they can “help them apply for a CareCredit Loan”. The Power of Branding! We have to speak a language that the patients understand.

 

Here are some of the main “pros”:

1. Quick payment, up front, for large cases.

2. CareCredit has one of the highest approval ratings.

3. Patients may be eligible for 12-24 months non-interest loans

4. “Patients that have paid you, will like you, and they like your dentistry.” Did you ever notice that dentures that are fully paid for fit better than those you are owed money for?

5. These patient financing plans are non-recourse. This means that if the patient does not pay off their credit line as promised, these companies cannot come back to your office and demand the payment.

 

Interview the Reps from several companies- they will be happy to meet with you. Look them up.

Enroll in several plans. You may able to do a “wrap around”. If your patient accepts a Treatment Plan of $10,000 and is approved by Company “A” for $8,000, Company “B” may lend another $2,000.

You can do some shopping around to see which of the existing companies can provide your office with the best services.

 

These companies will provide your office with applications. The patient fills out the application with all the necessary information, and the form gets faxed over to the company. Usually within 10 minutes you will have an answer from these financing companies as to whether or not the patient can receive financing, and what their line of credit will be. You can even apply over the internet and literally have an answer within a minute.

 

Some “Cons”:

1. A major consideration is what it costs your office to provide these plans. There are many fees that can be involved with these financing companies; you must look carefully at these so you can get the best deal. Some charge up-front fees as well as a percentage of the credit line used.

2. Care Credit can charge a fee of up to 14.9% to the practice (YOU) for some interest free financing to the patient.

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Remember that Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, and Credit Unions are also “THIRD PARTY LENDERS” and most patients carry one of those cards in their wallets.