TLC Approaching 1 year Anniversary of EMR

We here at TLC are fast approaching our 1 year anniversary of utilizing EMR. While things started off fairly slowly for many of us, we seem to have reached a point where each and every member of the staff is embracing it. How has it helped? Well, when it comes to patient care, we feel there have been a number of benefits. First and foremost, EMR seems to have improved our office workflow. Whether it be a mother calling for results, a father picking up a physical form, a nurse putting a patient in a room, or a doctor calling a specialist to discuss a case, access to the chart is immediate and everything is literally at our fingertips. This includes information on growth, vaccine history, lab and x-ray results, past illnesses, and specialist reports. In the past, this was often a multi-step process that took quite a bit of time. Now it can be accomplished within seconds. EMR has also reduced the possibility for errors. Charts can no longer be misplaced, and medication doses and interactions are checked instantly by the computer. Fianlly, and perhaps most importantly, because of all these factors, we feel as though EMR has allowed us to spend more quality time with our patients, which is always our main objective. And, despite the fact that it has already been one year, we feel that we are still in our "infancy" with EMR, so to speak. As time goes on, we hope that you will continue to see more and more benefits as we become increasingly proficient with the system. This should help to ensure that TLC continues to provide your children with the quality care that we have become known for.  What sort of changes have you seen, either positive or negative?  Feel free to share.  We are always looking to improve!

Cartoons and Children

This is often a highly debated topic, as some previous studies have suggested a possible link between increased television viewing and ADHD, while others have even shown a possible benefit to television viewing (shows such as Sesame Street and Dora).  Well, a new study has just been released that looked at memory and thinking skills of 4 year old children.  The study had three groups, one that watched a 9 minute segment of a fast-paced cartoon (SpongeBob), one that watched a 9 minute segment of a slow-paced educational cartoon, and one that drew pictures with crayons and markers.  The group watching the fast-paced cartoon fared very poorly on the thinking tests which followed.  What does this mean?  Well, it seems as though this study would imply that watching a fast moving TV show might affect a preschoolers ability to focus and concentrate.  As mentioned, there have been studies previously which came to a similar conclusion (albeit in different age groups).  We think the bottom line here is to heed the advice of the AAP and limit "screen time" to less than two hours per day.  That includes TV, video games, and computer usage.  And, when choosing what your preschooler can watch, perhaps try and stick with some of the slower paced more educational shows (such as those you may find on PBS, Nick Jr, Sprout, etc).  For more information on the study, click here.

Here is a nice agreement that your child can sign to limit TV to 2 hours a day: TV agreement

Keeping your child's lunch cool

As parents start their back to school shopping, one important item on the list should be an insulated lunch bag.  A recent study in the journal Pediatrics found that more than 90% of perishable items in lunches reached an unsafe temperature.  In fact, the average temperature found by researchers in these school lunches was 62 degrees, more than 20 degrees above what is considered an unsafe temperature for perishable foods (such as milk, meat, and sliced fruits).

Some helpful hints for keeping your child's lunch cold:
-  use an insulated lunch box
-  use an ice pack (or two if space permits)
-  freeze items whenever possible (putting water or juice in the freezer the night before can act as another ice pack and help keep the entire lunch cold).
-  keep as many items cold as possible, even if they don't have to be (ie. apples and oranges)

Congratulations to a local expert on children's fitness!

A big congratulations is sent out to our close friend Ginny Leake, certified children's fitness specialist, for being named a recipient of The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) Community Leadership Award.  This prestigious award is only given out annually to no more than fifty (50) individuals who improve the lives of individuals within their communities by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, fitness, or nutrition-related programs. 


Ginny runs a local program that we have promoted in the past called "Hop-N-Healthy" designed to increase physical fitness in children aged 18 months to 5 years.  We highly encourage all of you to check out one of her many local  affordably priced classes.  You can check out her program at http://www.hopnhealthy.com/

Important Change to Carseat Recommendations

New advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will change the way many parents buckle up their children for a drive.




In a new policy published in the April 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online March 21), the AAP advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.



The previous policy, from 2002, advised that it is safest for infants and toddlers to ride rear-facing up to the limits of the car seat, but it also cited age 12 months and 20 pounds as a minimum. As a result, many parents turned the seat to face the front of the car when their child celebrated his or her first birthday.