ZoomNews

Kirsten Carr, M.D. is the latest addition to the medical team at ZoomCare. Dr. Carr earned her medical degree at Oregon Health & Science Dr. Kirsten Carr University in Portland and completed her internship and residency at the Scottsdale Healthcare Family Medicine Residency Program in Scottsdale, Arizona. She served as a staff physician at several clinics in the Phoenix area and is a board certified member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Q. How does it feel to be back in Portland?
A. I love being back in the northwest! In addition to being much closer to almost my entire family, I am a native Oregonian and my webfeet were getting cracked in the desert. I missed the green and mountains the most. Surprisingly, I have not found the rain hard to get used to. My sweaters and rain jackets had been so lonely in Arizona, I was happy to get to know them again!

Q. What's your favorite thing about working at ZoomCare?
A. ZoomCare is an exciting new adventure. One thing that has become frustrating about practicing medicine (for the patient and the doctor in me) is how little time the patient and doctor get to spend talking to one another. At ZoomCare, the focus really is on the patient
and making the experience a quality interaction.

Go to zoomcare.com to learn more about Dr. Carr and listen to her podcast Q & A.

Dr. Katz's Corner: And Now a Public Service Announcement from Your Bacteria

As a celebrated ZoomCare Physician (ZCP), I periodically receive fan-mail, autograph requests, and singing telegrams from our patients. Recently, however, I received a very peculiar letter from an unlikely source, a gang of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, the cause of Strep Throat. These streptococci accused me of discriminating against them. "How come only we get treated?", they pleaded with me.

You see, sore throat is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits, yet fewer than 20 percent of throat infections should be treated with antibiotics. That's because most throat infections are caused by viruses which are not cured by antibiotics. Not long ago, bacteria weren't so mean, but recent unnecessary antibiotic use has killed off the gentler, nicer bacteria, allowing these mean-joe-green bacteria to loiter, gossip, imbibe, cahoot and write me letters. But by using antibiotics only when they're needed, we reduce your risk of catching these really nasty bacteria.

At ZoomCare, separating out bacteria from viruses is our specialty. Your ZCP will do a thorough examination using our training, experience and high tech tools like rapid strep tests and even throat cultures when necessary.

Your ZCP is always on the look-out for look-a-like infections. For example, a lot of folks tell me that since they have white patches on the tonsils (exudate), it's therefore a strep throat. Au contraire mon frére (translation= good thing I didn't get all of my medical training by watching "Scrubs"). It turns out that other infections can cause those lovely white spots on the tonsils besides strep. In fact, mononucleosis (a common virus) is a classic example. ZoomCare offers a rapid test for mono, too.

After your examination and laboratory test, your ZCP will make recommendations based on strict, up-to-date and well-accepted guidelines straight out of the Center for Disease Control. Your ZCP will then completely explain that advice, treating you as a partner in your health, hopefully making your ZoomCare Visit the best medical experience of your life.

If you do have one of those nasty letter-writing group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus, your ZCP will probably recommend you take an antibiotic such as a penicillin or a cephalosporin. Most treatment courses will be 10 days. We even dispense your medications right onsite. And even if you don't need antibiotics, our ZoomStore carries other treatments to make you more comfortable. It's all about your "ultra-convenience".

And while we're keeping you healthy and safe, we'll be protecting your family and community, as well. As a finale, we'll provide you with written or online materials about your illness before you leave.

If you think you may have some of these bad streptococci lurking in your throat, go to zoomcare.com, make a reservation, and come on in for a bacterial check-up. That's from a doctor who knows your bacteria well - and apparently now receives
their letters.

Ask Your ZCP (ZoomCare Physician)

Q: I think I have sinusitis! What should I do?

A: Runny nose? Thick green mucus? Head and face hurt like the dickens when you bend over? It might indeed be sinusitis. In fact, Acute Sinusitis is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits this time of year.

Hippocrates

It all starts with the fact that you have holes in your head. Well, not just you, actually, we all do. These holes (that is, air-filled hollow cavities around your nose and nasal passages) are your sinuses. When they get inflamed, normal drainage of mucus can stop, causing the sinusitis symptoms.

Symptoms of sinusitis (both bacterial or viral) may include nasal congestion, green thick mucus discharge, tooth pain and face pain, and foul breath. If you zoom into ZoomCare with some of the above symptoms, your ZCP's mission is to distinguish bacterial sinusitis from other conditions that might look or feel the same: mainly a bad viral infection (a common cold). This is important because bacterial sinusitis should be treated with antibiotics to prevent some potentially nasty complications.

Who gets bacterial sinusitis? The average adult gets three "colds" per year and a child gets 6-10 per year. Up to 2% of these colds can become acute bacterial sinusitis. (That means that there are 20 million cases of bacterial sinusitis per year). Nose blowing may actually lead to bacterial sinusitis because blowing the nose shoots mucus into the sinuses, where bacteria can then take hold. That is why treating colds with decongestants can be helpful in preventing sinusitis.

The key to sinusitis is deciding when it needs to be treated with antibiotics. This is not an easy decision. There is no convenient, office-based diagnostic test to distinguish bacterial sinusitis from other similar conditions. So it all rests on history, physical exam and experienced medical assessment. Your ZCP will be looking for the clues to bacterial sinusitis: namely, thick green mucus, facial pain (especially one side of the face), tooth pain, and fever. If your symptoms have lasted for more than seven days, your ZCP may prescribe antibiotics.

Antibiotics cure most cases of bacterial sinusitis and prevent complications (meningitis, brain abscess, chronic sinusitis). The first line of treatment is high dose amoxicillin used for 10 days. Patients with allergies to penicillin or with other special circumstances have many other antibiotic options.

Got a question? Email Ask Your ZCP: bridgeport@zoomcare.com.

ZoomCare Tips: Schedule Online

Schedule Online to guarantee you'll walk straight in to see your awaiting ZoomCare doctor.

Go to zoomcare.com and click on the right hand side of the page where it is says "Schedule a same day visit."
Go to step one and fill in a few simple details: your name, phone number, zip code, and email address.

Then go to step two (see how simple we made this?) and fill in your requested appointment time.

Step three is to tell us how you'll be paying.

Click "send request"

That's it!

If the office is open, we'll confirm your appointment immediately.
If the office isn't open, we'll confirm your appointment by 8:45 the next weekday morning or 9:45 on weekend mornings.

Founders' Message

Greetings,

Many consider the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates to be the Father of Medicine. For thousands of years, physicians have been taking the Hippocratic Oath, pledging to place our patients' needs above all else. Here at ZoomCare, we take inspiration not only from the ideals of Hippocrates but also from the ancient Greek ideal of xenia or hospitality, a pillar of ancient Greek civilization. They lived in a watery and dangerous world and counted on a code of honor between guests and hosts, which called for hosts to take in, feed and care for weary travelers. You history buffs will recognize that the Trojan War resulted from a violation of xenia. We have long thought that health care could use a bit more hospitality and so we have tried to infuse ZoomCare's culture with this ancient credo. We invite you to test out our xenia. We look forward to hearing from you!

David Sanders, MD and Albert DiPiero, MD, MPH
dsanders@zoomcare.com adipiero@zoomcare.com
ZoomCare Founders

ZoomCare at Bridgeport Village

Location & Hours

Monday-Friday 9AM-7PM
Sat-Sun 10AM-3PM

bridgeport@zoomcare.com
zoomc are.com
503-684-8252