Five Points Pediatrics earns recognition

Five Points Pediatrics has met the standards to be recognized as a patient-center medical home practice.

Five Points Pediatrics, part of the Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers system, earned the highest recognition, Level 3, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. This recognition is valid through February 2016.

To receive the designation, Five Points Pediatrics successfully met the requirements to help physicians and patients manage on-going health concerns. Medical homes are designed to encourage patients to seek care when needed and take the necessary steps to keep chronic conditions under control.

Dr. Kiki Lofton, Dr. Monica McCutcheon and nurse practitioner Mary Kayse at Five Points earned individual recognition.

Other Midlands facilities that have been recognized as patient-centered medical homes include Palmetto Health Atrium Ridge and Midlands Internal Medicine in Columbia, Palmetto Health Lakeview Family Medicine and Twelve Mile Creek Family Medicine in Lexington, and Moncrief Integrated Health Clinic at Fort Jackson.

Belk offers free mammograms at mobile center

The BelkGives on the Go Mobile Mammography Center, a 39-foot-long, state-of-the-art screening center on wheels, will stop at Belk stores in the Columbia area during the week of Feb. 25 to offer free mammogram screenings.

Women age 40 and older with no breast concerns and who have not had a mammogram in the last 12 months are eligible for the exams. To schedule an appointment, call (855) 655-2662.

The screening center will be at the Village at Sandhill store at 670 Promenade Place, Columbia, on Feb. 26 from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; and at the Columbiana Centre store at 100 Columbiana Centre Circle, Columbia, on Feb. 27 from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Screening exams will be done by Charlotte Radiology. Confidential results will be sent to the patient and her primary care physician.

Information: www.belk.com/pink.

Melanoma apps often get it wrong

Apps are popping up that claim to be able to diagnose skin cancer melanoma from a cell phone camera picture.

While these apps have some value, health experts warn not to rely solely on them. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center recently tested four apps. Three of the four ran the photos through an automated computer program. They were wrong 30 percent of the time. One app sent the pictures to a dermatologist for diagnosis, and those were almost always right.

The study’s conclusion: A photo sent through a computer screening is much less effective than a visit to the doctor. And because early diagnosis is especially important with melanomas, the best option is to see a doctor if you notice a new or changing mole.

For more information: The study is online at http://archderm.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx

Compiled by Joey Holleman