Come see what is happening in Dr. Kordonowy's practice and see what the doctor is reading.  

Health care staying current
Practice Updates and Interesting Health News
Happy 2017 Everyone!

This is going to be a very interesting year for the health care system.  This weekend I read in the news that the first congressional agenda item will be rescinding Obamacare.  While this sounds scary, it is my opinion that we should be feeling optimistic.  

The main reason I am in agreement with removing the law is never in our history has Joe Q Public been forced to engage in purchasing a product.  Even buying water (while necessary literally for daily life) is not legislated as a necessary act to purchase. Health care is no different.

A common complaint being made about the creators of Obamacare is that rescinding it will disrupt the market- to which I reply: "What do we think has been going on since the law was passed"?  I have an observed answer- "absolute chaos".

Medicare price-fixing along with the robbing of the Medicare budget accelerated a total disruption of Medicare access.  We have Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners working the front line at our hospitals due to the twisted price controls.

Doctors in Private Medicine have fled their businesses and unless board certified can't get hospital privileges. Radical change like what I and my patients have undergone is the only way to maintain our relationship. 

As a final parting shot on this topic I want to quote something I wrote on thedoctorsreport.net blog site in May of 2012

" Hopefully, the Supreme Court realizes the unconstitutionality of the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act.  This whole thing will be deemed unlawful and thus clawed back. The  executive branch (yes folks, that's the President) needs to be handily told that forcing individuals into commerce is not a power our  constitution gives the President or the Federal Government/Congress". 

In this January 2017 Newsletter I will inform folks about some value added projects planned this year. I will update readers on some projects I will be involved in regarding patient and physician advocacy.  I also wish to summarize my latest conclusions and observations regarding supplement products I endorse actively in the practice.  I have a recipe for a nutritious and portable snack you can make on the weekend to keep you going all week. 
Physician vetted products. Everything from aspirin to braces. Great skin products.
Coming in January - Dispensing of Generic Medications For Our Patients
pills2.jpg
Affordable Medications- Avoid the Donut Hole

For the past 2 years I have witnessed 100-400% price increases in many of my patients generic prescription costs.  There is not a single or simple answer to why this is happening but I am convinced a major reason it that the 3rd parties are using "false accounting".  Looking at how the private insurance and Medicare Part D prescription schemes are set up, it behooves the insurance plan to "burn the costs" in order to get to the private insurance patient's Health Savings Account cash and to the Medicare Part D patient's donut hole cash obligation.  

Similarly to how I rolled out my Inpatient Advocate Service to serve the "unintended consequences" market needs that resulted from the central planners, I now see a way to help people with this problem. My research shows me that I can buy generic pills at significantly discounted prices and I plan to pass that savings onto my interested patients. I wont' be submitting claims nor will your insurance company get billed "trumped up prices" and so in the end you pay less, despite having insurance for this. 

A survey I sent out last month confirms interest.  Of 58 respondents, over 70% voiced an interest in this program.  Armed with this information we have already purchased a software system to help manage these transactions as well as comply with the Florida filling rules.  

For the general public to know- doctors can dispense/fill prescriptions if they pay for the license to do so.  This option is only available to their patients and not the general public.  Doctors would prefer not to be in this business as it is logistically difficult to manage but in the present day and circumstances I have chosen to jump in.

Those who are my patients who didn't answer the survey but are interested in this service please notify us using your portal access or by calling us. This program will not save you money for name brand products.  My research shows that the high prices of name brand is all doing to the distributor and the manufacturer, not your pharmacist or dispenser. 

I believe this convenient and cost effective program will be yet another reason people will see the value of a doctor who is advocating for and providing the highest level of service to his patients. 
Dr. Kordonowy's Membership/Direct Patient Care Program is a Big Hit!

Since the November election there is an ongoing groundswell of physicians in primary care (Internal Medicine and Family Medicine) offering Direct Primary Care services.  In mid 2016 Dr. Kordonowy has developed comprehensive primary care packages to provide predictable and transparent pricing for comprehensive and expanding services. 


Quality Supplements

What Is The Doctor Reading?


Many of you who are following my Dr. Kordonowy MD and The Doctor's Report Facebook posts have been getting regular posts throughout the week.  I have been known to twitter from time to time as well but this often has a slight political bent due to the audience at twitter. 

This newsletter instead of more medical literature updates I wish to update folks the future.  Last year I began offering remote monitoring services for my membership patients.  I now have over 50 patients using this program. Presently there are 3 companies whose products interface (using the Bluetooth technology) with the IRemedy company.  The Withings automated blood pressure unit and their Body Fat % analysis weight scale is one.  FitBit devices can be linked to this service. Finally the Fora diabetes test meter system interfaces data to this dashboard.   I have been collaborating closely with IRemedyPro to improve the remote monitoring dashboard.  Soon our beta testing project will be offered to doctors nationwide. While we are only beginning to tap into this technology, already I am finding it very helpful.   

When your appointment date is coming up, my staff and I can view,review and download data that these devices have collected when you use them.  FitBit has the nice feature of assisting you in documenting your food intake.  Provide a patient uses this part of the application (on their phone or PC app),  I can click the data field for "caloric intake" and see their full food diary!!  

After completion of the software updates I can also email feedback when I am reviewing information- another point of contact for us.  I doubt folks in England and Canada are getting this kind of physician access. 

I can see and monitor between appointments your home blood pressure measurements using the Withings blood pressure unit. If you want to purchase and/or link your meter/device to my dashboard, simply contact my staff and request that we invite you.  You will get an email from IRemedyRemote where you register your unit. Upon activation of the device, using BlueTooth connection, your data will be linked "live" whenever you measure. 


Another recent and novel project that I am starting to experiment with involves a joint project between 23 and Me and Pure Encapsulations. This project is called PureGenomics.  This involves having a physician register his patient with the program.  

Once registered the patient then can purchase a 23 and Me gene kit. The kit is sent to your home and you provide enough saliva to have your entire genome tested. Where Pure Encapsulations comes in is that they provide a filter that finds genes that predict nutritional/metabolic processing variants. This data allows guided and specific supplementation recommendations (if an abnormality is identified). 

If you are interested in considering gene specific nutritional support and information, I recommend you arrange an appointment so we can set things up.  A follow-up appointment will be needed as we have to manually download your DNA data into the PureGenomics filter software in order to generate a report for you. 

The cost of the one time gene test is just under 200 dollars.  As some of you who follow health news know, gene data from cancer specimens is now the "forefront" of cancer research and treatment.  This same technology can now be harnessed to provide specific targeted nutritional information. 

I ran this testing protocol on myself and confirmed that I have a gene variant that makes it difficult for me to maintain B12 levels (something I observed through lab testing and supplement attempts).  I have also learned that I lack other metabolic functions for optimal nutrition and liver enzyme metabolism. 

So while I am a fiercely conservative individual regarding the patient and doctor relationship, I remain pressing forward aggressively as it relates to improving my diagnostic skills and our health and wellness. 


Supplements Summary

Regarding Supplements- You Get What You Pay For





To be optimal in health we should strive for ideal nutrition.  As part of my annual examinations of patients, I measure several areas for nutritional status.  I check blood levels of vitamin D and B12 and I use the biophotonic scanner to measure skin scores for the antioxidant family of nutrients known as carotenoids.   What I consistently see is sub-optimal results in the clear majority of new clients and in a large share of my established patients as well.



Obviously learning this information helps us engage in an active role of eating better.  Deficiency findings can be remeasured later in time to see if diet and behavior changes can improve matters.  If you are already supplementing but still not achieving desirable or optimal objective nutritional measurements, then you should conclude one of several possibilities. 
  1.  You need to take more of what you already are using.
  2. Your product may not be getting absorbed or has lost  potency on the shelf/in storage.
  3.     You have acute or chronic illness which is increasing your nutritional needs or affecting your body's absorption of nutrients.
  4. Your nutritional demands are higher than your diet and/or supplements can deliver.
Regarding multi-vitmain supplements as of the beginning of 2017, I presently endorse 3 main nutritional supplement lines.  Each product line is of high to good quality.  From my testing, I must conclude that to get good, absorbable supplementation, capsules and liquid products are superior to tablets.  Also, fresh and high quality supplements provide better objective results.

We all have different needs, desires, goals and budgets when it comes to our investment in our health, diet and supplements.  Over the years, I have come to find I consistently recommend 3-4 product lines that have various price points.  These product lines are available through on-line access or directly in the office depending upon how the manufacturer markets and distributes their products.   By order of quality and price-points from best/highest to less/lower (excellent to good) multi-vitamin products are the following.
  • NuSkin/Pharmanex:  Best in class is LifePak Nano- total comprehensive multi-vitamin packets taken twice daily with meals.  Users consistently have the highest anti-oxidant scores and highest RBC omega-3 index measurements bar none. The Pharmanex eye formula is superior to any eye formula I have seen any patient take and this supplement cost the same or less than the currently off the shelf name brand products.  You can bet better pricing of the Nuskin line by contacting my staff to arrange ordering.  We have "preferred customer" pricing which when combined with their automatic delivery program can result in over a 35% discount from the website posted prices. 
  • PureEncapsulations Multi-vitamin Products including Pure O.N.E or Multi-TD
  • Celebrate from CareNutrition- good multi-vitamin product at a more affordable budget.  I have seen very good results but don't have the experience of use as the prior two brands. This product line is found on my e-retail store
    www.shopdrkordonowy.com
  • Life Extension- again this brand is found on my e-retail store
    www.shopdrkordonowy.com.  This is an affordable good product line as well.

A Nice Snack Recipe



Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix

Seeds are Nutritious.


I modified a recipe printed in a past USA today article.  I suggest adding the healthy cereal to provide some extra fiber, crunch and nutrition to this snack. I think cinnamon goes well with the natural sweetness of maple syrup.  I recommend non-salted seeds or at least a 1/2 and 1/2 salted/non-salted seed mix in order to avoid the addicting taste of combining salt and sweet.  

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups baby pumpkin seeds (preferably unsalted)
  • 1 cup of almonds
  • 3/4 cup sunflower seeds 
  • 8 tablespoons real maple syrup 
  • 3/4-1 cup of Ezekiel 4:9 Golden Flax sprouted grain crunchy cereal
  • 2-3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup of dried cherries and/or cranberries
Instructions:

  • Toss the seeds, cereal, almonds and maple syrup into a bowel
  • Spread mixture on a baking sheet
  • Sprinkle evenly the cinnamon over the mixture
  • Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown
  • After the mixture has cooled, stir in the dried fruit
Divide up into single serving baggies for "on the run" nutrition, crunch and energy!  Drink lots of water with this fiber loaded snack to improve good bowel movements. 
Nano
Science For Absorption
Raymond W. Kordonowy MD
Internal Medicine, Lipid & Wellness
239-362-3005 

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