Making the Most of Summer

Welcome to summer! 81…It makes a much better number to describe the “high temperature” for the day than a number to describe the cumulative inches of snow Maryland received this past winter.

Summertime is our busiest check-up season. Call now to reserve your preferred well visit time before summer appointments fill up. We would much rather see your child in June than have panic in August or have you go to an urgent care center for a “sports physical.” We remain concerned about the level of care commonly received in facilities like this. Main Street Pediatrics is your child’s medical home. We pride ourselves on providing a comprehensive review of all of your child’s care needs.

Now that our days are sunny, skin sun protection is a must. The sun is strongest each day from 10am-2pm but can burn you all day long. Children over the age of 6 months should wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15-30 when outdoors. Sunscreen needs to be re-applied approximately every 2 hours. Clothing and glasses with ultraviolet protection are also becoming more popular. These products along with hats are perfect for children under 6 months of age who should be kept out of direct sun. Remember, any degree of sunburn causes skin damage. This damage to skin accumulates over a lifetime leading to higher risks of skin cancer. From more information, see www.melanomaprevention.org.

Insect bites are annoying, painful and may occasionally lead to serious skin infections. The best way to treat these annoying bite injuries is to avoid them. Avoid standing water especially in the evening hours when these pests become active. If you must be out in high exposure areas, wear long clothing to cover as much of your skin as possible. When more protection is needed, DEET-containing insect repellants can be used with caution. Because this chemical can be absorbed into the skin, it should be used carefully. It can be applied to clothing and to skin not covered by clothing. Unlike sunscreen, DEET containing lotions do NOT get reapplied more than once per day and they need to be washed off completely each evening. For more information, log onto www.cdc.gov and use the alphabet index to search “DEET”.

Lastly, we are pleased to know that you are using our new website. Hopefully, this will help us interact with you and meet your needs. And while we are on the subject of the internet, we realize that this is where more and more people look for reviews of all sorts of service providers, physicians included. Recommendations and referral of friends is the best compliment you can give us. Feel free to share your positive experiences with all of your Twitter and Facebook friends…and always let us know directly if we can serve you better.

The physicians and staff at Main Street Pediatrics

Presidential Praise for Main Street Pediatrics!

Well ok, not exactly. But did you know that Main Street Pediatrics has been using Electronic Medical Records since 2002? In the interests of improved record documentation, accuracy, availability, patient safety and care quality, we have been improving, updating and expanding this system ever since. We are delighted that this major quality enhancement is now being recognized and encouraged by the Federal Government, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and other major insurance plans.

Main Street Pediatrics Sets the Bar

Main Street Pediatrics’ physicians have been singled out for recognition for outstanding patient and family care. The entire organization has received quality enhancement ratings and rewards from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna, United Health Care, and State of Maryland Medical Assistance. Many of our physicians have been additionally recognized for superior care and service and ongoing medical education, by such organizations as the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Board of Medical Specialists, Who’s Who, Consumers’ Research Council of America, America’s Top Pediatricians, Baltimore Magazine, and others.