Medical Credentialing Services

Passport Health is a Superior Provider of Medical Credentialing Services

Background:

Passport Health has worked with large pharmaceutical companies and individuals providing medical credentialing services. Before working in a hospital or other healthcare facility staff must be properly immunized and screened for communicable diseases. We understand the urgency to clear individuals for vital roles in the healthcare industry.

The Process:

Whether you need a Hepatitis B, MMR, or Varicella immunization or Titers performed to verify protection we are happy to see you in one of our locations. We obtain all proper medical releases to provide feedback to your organization that you are cleared for employment. These services are available on a one on one basis, however Passport Health is also able to provide on-site services to groups such as medical schools, nursing schools and pharmaceutical companies.

Convenient and Thorough Solutions:

Requirements vary form company to company and facility to facility before clearing an individual for work, Passport Health is able to provide a convenient and quick solution for you and or your company including the proper documentation. Please call us to obtain more detailed information and to schedule an appointment at one of our convenient locations or on-site at your company or organization.

Call or click today! 215-491-1111
www.passporthealthphilly.com

 

Center City Travel Medicine

Passport Health is in the heart of Center City Philadelphia. Call or click today for an appointment 215-491-1111 www.passporthealthphilly.com

Flu Shot Clinics for Corporations

A flu immunization program can increase company productivity, reduce absenteeism and medical costs and show employees that your company cares about them and their health. Corporations lose millions each year because their employees become ill. Absence due to sickness causes lost time and slowed productivity. Most importantly, ill employees can spread the disease; suffer pain, discomfort, and even lost wages – sometimes needlessly. Call or click us today to schedule your First Class on site Flu Shot Clinic 1-800-741-0504 http://www.passporthealthusa.com/locations/pa/philadelphia/481/

Passport Health of Greater Philadelphia is a Proud ISTM Member

When planning an international trip please remember the following.

Over 700 million travellers cross international borders annually. However, studies suggest that only a very small percent seek pre-travel health advice, and typically from practitioners who are ill equipped to provide current and accurate information. Travel medicine has become increasingly complex due to dynamic changes in global infectious disease epidemiology, changing patterns of drug resistance, and a rise in the number of travellers with chronic health conditions.

Passport Health of Greater Philadelphia is a Proud ISTM Member.
call or click us 800-741-0504
http://www.passporthealthusa.com/locations/pa/philadelphia/481/

Passport Health of Philadelphia has a new website!

Passport Health in the Greater Philadelphia has a new website.

We are your one stop source for pre departure travel immunizations.

Please click us and have a look around.

http://www.passporthealthusa.com/locations/pa/philadelphia/481/

Call us when you need us 800-741-0504

Get Vaccinated for Whooping Cough!

Some news from across the river....

Eight children in Hunterdon County NJ, have recently been diagnosed with whooping cough — including those whose families declined to have them vaccinated or failed to get all of their necessary shots, state and county health officials said today.
An Ocean County health department spokeswoman also confirmed two infants who developed symptoms in December have been diagnosed with the highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection.
The infected children in Hunterdon County range in age from 4 to 15, and are all getting treated at home, said Carl Rachel, spokesman for the Hunterdon County Division of Public Health.
Whooping cough mimics the symptoms of a cold but then develops into "uncontrolled coughing spells," according to the county website. Nationally, the illness annually kills 10 to 20 people who are typically less than a year old, the website said.
New Jersey requires children enrolled in preschool or day care public to be vaccinated against whooping cough, also known as pertussis. But state law allows parents to cite religion and medical conditions as a reason to seek an exemption.
Most people can avoid contracting the infection — spread by coughing and sneezing — with a series of four shots beginning when a child is two months old. Public health professionals recommend people ages 10 to 64 get booster shots.
Of the eight children sickened in Hunterdon County, "several were immunized; of those immunized cases, some did not have the complete series of pertussis vaccines appropriate for their age," said state health department spokeswoman Donna Leusner.
"Vaccines in general are not 100 percent effective in preventing infections, but vaccinations still can lessen the degree of illness, even if a child is not fully immunized," she said.
Rose Puelle of the Hunterdon County Division of Public Health Preparedness, confirmed some of the sick children "were vaccinated in the past, and some not for personal or medical reasons."
"Most people who complete a vaccine series including the recommended boosters have the maximum protection available to prevent illness," Puelle said. "It affords everyone in the community, including those most susceptible such as infants and immuno-compromised, the best chance of avoiding the serious consequences of disease."
In Ocean County, neither of the infected infants was vaccinated against whooping cough, county health department spokeswoman Leslie Terjesen. Both babies required hospital care, although one has since been discharged, she said.
A vocal minority of parents oppose mandatory vaccines. Sue Collins, co-founder of the New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination, said vaccines are not guarantees against disease. "I know that Hunterdon had several cases a few years ago and those were in vaccinated children," she wrote in an e-mail. "From what I understand now, the strain of pertussis seems to be circulating in some communities and other states does not match the strain in the vaccines."
Since January 2011, 51 confirmed cases of whooping cough in New Jersey have been reported to the state health department. In 2009, health officials confirmed 39 cases of whooping cough in Hunterdon County.
The outbreak in Hunterdon began in the fall, according to the state.

Varicella Lollipop Scam Alert

Authorities and doctors are warning parents who want to avoid chicken pox vaccines for their children that a new mail-order scheme to share lollipops licked by children infected with the disease as a way to create immunity in their kids is not only unsafe but illegal.
“Can you imagine getting a package in the mail from this complete stranger that you know from Facebook because you joined a group, and say here, drink this purported spit from some other kid?” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Jerry Martin told The Associated Press.
News reports from Phoenix’s KPHO-TV and Nashville’s WSMV-TV this week looked into groups forming on social media sites like Facebook that offer ways to get “natural immunity” from chicken pox by deliberately exposing children to the disease.
Concerns about the vaccine range from worries about whether some of the ingredients are harmful to children, to fears that the vaccine itself is ineffective and would only be creating only short-term immunity to the disease.
Facebook groups such as “Find a Pox Party in Your Area” have popped up — offering ways for people to connect and share the virus through infected items, according to the TV news reports.
Doctors warn that the practice is not only impractical, but it’s dangerous.
Isaac Thomsen, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, told the AP that shipping the infected items is “theoretically possible” but “probably not an effective way to transmit it. It typically has to be inhaled.”
But Thomsen also warned that the lollipops could carry other more dangerous viruses, like hepatitis.
It is also federal crime to send diseases, viruses or a contagion through the post office or any mail transport service and carries a sentence between less than a year to 20 years if convicted, according to Martin.
In 1995, the chickenpox vaccine, varicella, was approved for use in the United States. Every state requires every child be vaccinated before they can enter day care or school.
There are some exceptions that vary state to state, including proof that the child has contracted the virus on his or her own and as parents who refrain from getting their children vaccinated due to religious reasons.
ABC News’ Emily Friedman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Call 215-491-1111 for an appointment for your varicella vaccination

http://www.passporthealthphilly.com/

Corporate flu clinics

Every year millions of dollars are lost by American Business due to loss of productivity with employees being out sick with the flu.

Don't let your company be a part of that statistic

Call or click now for more information

www.passporthealthphilly.com

215-491-1111

Good Health, Don't forget to take it with you!

Exciting destinations, exotic foods, engaging customs. . . International travel, whether for personal or business reasons, can be challenging if you are not prepared. Disease, illness, crime, and injury happen unexpectedly to even the most experienced traveler. Planning for good health on an international trip is as important as buying tickets or obtaining a visa and passport. That is why Passport Health's mission is to provide information, travel vaccines, and travel medications for you, the international traveler.

Travel Alert E. coli

June 8 (Bloomberg) -- Germany's top health official said the deadly E. coli outbreak appeared to be waning as local authorities defended their handling of the crisis.

At least 2,743 people have been stricken by E. coli since May 2, up from 2,429 yesterday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said today. The bacteria have caused 25 deaths, an increase of 2 from yesterday, the Stockholm-based agency said.

The outbreak's cause may never be found, Health Minister Daniel Bahr said at a news conference. The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease-control agency, reiterated that people shouldn't eat lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and salad ingredients such as vegetable sprouts.

"It's not the time yet to sound the all-clear, but after the analysis of figures and data at the Robert Koch Institute there's reason for justified optimism that the worst is behind us," Bahr said in Berlin today.

German officials have been struggling to pin down the source of the infections for several weeks, and have come under fire for delays as well as twice pointing to a cause for the outbreak too hastily.

The country's decentralized federal system may have compounded a lack of leadership and prevented a speedy response to the crisis, according to Baerbel Hoehn of the Green Party.

'More Confusion'

"To get to the root of all this, the German agriculture minister must say 'I'll take charge, I'll coordinate everything," Hoehn said today on N24 television. "Instead, too many people with new ideas are constantly coming to the fore, which only serves to create more confusion."

Germany may review its response after the outbreak to determine what could be improved, though there's no need to change the structure of the system, Stefan Gruettner, social minister of the state of Hesse and chairman of a meeting of health ministers from the country's 16 states, said in an interview today.

"We don't need centralism," Gruettner said. "Everything went well."

Germany initially blamed Spanish cucumbers, and on June 5 officials said sprouts from an organic farm played a role in the outbreak. Tests from the farm in Lower Saxony state have showed no evidence of the bacteria.

Disease Clusters

There are eight E. coli clusters linked to the sprout farm, Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said at the Berlin news conference. Lower Saxony still sees a connection between the outbreak and the farm in the town of Bienenbuettel even though tests have come up negative, Agriculture Minister Gert Lindemann told N24 in an interview today.

"We have, as yet, no bacterial results, and I don't know if we'll ever have these," the Lower Saxony minister is cited as saying. "But the epidemiological chain between the sites of the outbreak and the Bienenbuettel site yesterday became stronger rather than weaker."

Tests on 471 samples from Lower Saxony have come back negative, with another 382 still being tested, the state said in an e-mailed statement today. Nine samples taken from the farm have tested negative for the bacteria, and eight tests are still being conducted, the state said.

Infections among some employees of the Bienenbuettel facility support a link, Lindemann told the German news channel today.

The strain of E. coli involved in the outbreak produces a toxin that attacks the kidneys and blood vessels. Most cases have occurred in adult women, and among people from northern Germany or who have recently traveled there, the ECDC said.

EU nations reported 722 people have developed a potentially fatal kidney complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome after being infected with E. coli, the agency said today. That's an increase from 674 cases yesterday.

--With assistance from Rainer Buergin in Berlin, Niklas Magnusson in Hamburg, Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris and Emma Ross- Thomas in Madrid. Editors: Phil Serafino, David Risser, Marthe Fourcade.


When planning your next international trip call us for a pre departure travel health consultation and vaccinations 215-491-1111 www.passporthealthphilly.com

Travel Season is Here, Get Vaccinated

This is a nice news story from Passport Health in Colorado

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=965230213001

Call us for your appointment before your trip! 215-491-1111

www.passporthealthphilly.com

Why Passport Health?

First Class Medical Care for Travel Anywhere

Passport Health is the largest provider of travel medical services in the United States with convenient locations nationwide. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure we can prepare you for your trip with destination-specific travel information, immunizations, travel shots, specialty travel products, and international travel health insurance in all our travel clinics.


Good Health. . . Don't Forget to Take It With You!

Exciting destinations, exotic foods, engaging customs. . . International travel, whether for personal or business reasons, can be challenging if you are not prepared. Disease, illness, crime, and injury happen unexpectedly to even the most experienced traveler. Planning for good health on an international trip is as important as buying tickets or obtaining a visa and passport. That is why Passport Health's mission is to provide information, travel vaccines, and travel medications for you, the international traveler.

Passport Health is a leading provider of travel health information and immunizations for international travelers, major corporations, universities and other international organizations. Our nationwide staff is comprised of professionals that include board-certified physicians and registered nurses who have completed rigorous training in the field of travel medicine and immunology. We are a state certified Yellow Fever vaccine provider.

Protect your own health while on your mission trip

As a mission, volunteer or intercountry adoption traveler, you will be exposed to more risks than the average international vacationer. Typically you will be traveling to the more remote areas of underdeveloped countries. The sanitation, food preparations and health care will be sub-standard to what you are familiar with at home. Even the most careful traveler can become ill.
Expert Support for Mission or Volunteer Coordinators,
Team Leaders and Members
When planning a mission trip, it is important to include pre-trip medical preparations in your planning and budgeting. Passport Health's Travel Medicine Specialists will review with you the immunizations required and recommended for the area you will be visiting, based on the time of year, length of stay and your activities while you are there. Passport Health utilizes advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the US Department of State, the world's leaders in all areas of disease, outbreaks, warnings and knowledge of immunizations. Recommendations and requirements are constantly updated. At Passport Health, we monitor these conditions daily to ensure we give the best possible information to our travelers.

Many organizations do not include the upfront costs of immunizations in their planning, or ignore them all together. Team members should be up to date on all routine adult immunizations, such as Tetanus/Diphtheria, Hepatitis A and B, Measles/Mumps/Rubella, to name a few. This is in addition to the destination-specific travel immunizations needed. It is dangerous to ignore the importance of being immunized. Don't be fooled by 'No one got sick last time we traveled there.' The immunization cost is a fraction of what it will cost if just one person becomes sick or injured.

Passport Health can tailor a program and price options that fit your groups' needs and budget. It will include the information, routine and travel immunizations, medications and specialty travel health products.

Travelers receiving immunizations from Passport Health will receive an official immunization record to keep with his or her travel documents.

Passport Health also offers hard to find specialty travel health products. Many mission groups strongly encourage their team members to consider such products as they know they are some of the best on the market and not available once they've reached their destination.

The work performed by mission and volunteer travelers all over the world is so important and the rewards so fulfilling, illness or injury should not hinder a team's or individual member's ability to complete their assignment.

Experienced coordinators know proper planning for small or large groups means working early to get team members prepared. Passport Health is your one stop travel health planning partner.

Call us today for more infromation 215-491-1111 or 800-741-0504
www.passporthealthphilly.com

Traveler Alert! Malaria Protection

Malaria in humans is caused by one of four protozoan species. All species are transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito. Occasionally Malaria transmission occurs by blood transfusion or congenitally from mother to fetus.

Signs and Symptoms of Malaria
Malaria is characterized by fever and flu-like symptoms, including chills, headache, body aches and fatigue; these symptoms may occur at intervals. Malaria may be associated with anemia and jaundice, and may cause kidney failure, coma and death. Deaths due to Malaria are preventable. The estimated risk of a traveler acquiring Malaria varies markedly from area to area. A Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist will help you to determine your risk and Malaria prevention measures.

Protective Measures Against Malaria
Because no currently available drug regimen guarantees 100\% protection against Malaria, prevention of infection requires taking antimalarial medication as directed in addition to prevention of mosquito bites. Mosquitoes that carry Malaria have nocturnal feeding habits, thus Malaria transmission occurs primarily between dusk and dawn. Measures to reduce mosquito contact during critical hours include:

•Remaining in well-screened or air conditioned areas
•Using mosquito nets treated with Permethrin
•Wearing clothing that covers most of the body and has been treated with Permethrin
•Using insect repellents containing appropriate levels of DEET
•Using insecticides in living and sleeping areas where appropriate
Passport Health carries CDC and WHO recommended insect repellents for purchase.

Antimalarial Drugs
Most antimalarials act in the bloodstream to suppress clinical symptoms by inhibiting parasite development in red blood cells. Regardless of duration of stay in a Malarious area, antimalarials should be taken by all travelers. The regime for all Malaria medications include the need to be taken before arrival, during the visit, and after departure from a Malaria risk area. This approach assures adequate blood levels of the drug, enables the traveler to switch to another drug in the event of side effects and gets the traveler in the habit of taking the drug on a regular basis. Because antimalarials do not actually prevent the disease, continued dosing with antimalarials after departure from an endemic area ensures that the drug will kill any lingering parasites. A Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist will counsel you on recommended antimalaria medications specific to your travel destination. Antimalaria medications may be prescribed for you by the Travel Medicine Specialist and many locations may have antimalaria medications available for purchase.

Follow-Up
Regardless of the drug regimen used, it is still possible to contract Malaria during travel and to become ill following departure from a malarious area. Travelers should seek medical attention as soon as possible if a fever illness develops during a trip or the first year following exposure. Malaria may be fatal if treatment is delayed.

So, if you are asking yourself, "what travel shots do I need? or where to get the Malaria vaccine", call 215-491-1111 for your appointment today
www.passporthealthpilly.com

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce "Discovering China"

Passport Health is proud to announce our participation in the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce "Discovering China" Program.

"What travel shots do I need to go to China?" This is the most common question we hear when travelers are going to that region.No matter where you are traveling, you should know that you will be exposed to things that could make you ill. As a new or even experienced international traveler you should be educated about the environment you'll be visiting. Ideally, you should schedule your appointment with a Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist 4-6 weeks prior to your departure date. However, we will always accommodate last minute travelers.
At Passport Health, we don't just vaccinate, we educate.
From the dangers of sunburn at high altitude and parasitic infections; to vaccine preventable diseases and foods to avoid; our Travel Medicine Specialists will give you all the tools you need to be informed and protected on your international trip.

Our consultations typically last about 45 minutes and include a comprehensive itinerary and specific topics about your travels. Our Travel Medicine Specialists will discuss recommendations (from the CDC, WHO and other sources) and requirements based on your destinations, activities, time of year, altitude and medical history. Our consultation rooms are private and comfortable similar to a relaxed corporate environment.

Chamber members who make an appointment at our Center City office at 1500 Walnut St and complete a travel consultation will receive a free Passport Health Travel Kit, normally a $30.00 value.Call for your appointment 215-491-1111 www.passporthealthphilly.com

For details on the Chamber of Commerce Discovering China Trip visit www.greaterphilachamber.com

Protect your newborn, get yourself vaccinated

Parents and family members are the primary source of pertussis transmission to vulnerable infants
It is estimated that up to 3.3 million cases of pertussis occur each year in adults and adolescents in the United States
Studies show that when the source can be identified, family members are the source of transmission in up to 83% of infant cases
With a household attack rate reaching 90% to 100%, pertussis is highly contagious
Despite CDCb recommendations, only 6% of adults reported receiving Tdap vaccine from 2005 through 2008
Immunization with Tdap vaccine may help protect adults and adolescents against pertussis, and help reduce the risk of transmission to vulnerable infants

Be protected from hepatitis A or hepatitis B infection

What is TWINRIX?
TWINRIX is a vaccine for adults 18 years of age or older. It is injected into your upper arm muscle. It is used to help protect against hepatitis A and hepatitis B infections, which can affect the liver. TWINRIX may not fully protect everyone who receives the vaccine, especially those with immune system disorders. TWINRIX is not used for the “treatment” of hepatitis A or hepatitis B.
Who should get TWINRIX?
There are many things that could put you at risk for either hepatitis A or hepatitis B. You should talk to a healthcare provider to find out more.
How does TWINRIX work?
TWINRIX works by causing the body to produce its own protection (antibodies) that prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B virus infection. The vaccine cannot give you a hepatitis A or hepatitis B infection.
What are the benefits of using TWINRIX?
TWINRIX provides protection against two of the most common forms of hepatitis, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, through a single vaccine series. You can get separate shots for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but that would mean a total of 5 shots in 4 visits to a healthcare provider. With the standard schedule for TWINRIX, you only need 3 shots in 3 visits to Passport Health

Travel Alert! Malaria

Each year, more than 250 million cases of malaria are reported worldwide, killing between one and 3 million people. 90% of malaria-related deaths take place in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Torres Strait Islands (Australia) 5 cases have been reported recently. In Mumbai India 137 cases have been reported since April 2010 to present. In Andhra Pradesh India 2 deaths have been reported this year and 311 cases were reported in February alone. In the city of Quillabamba, Peru 9 cases have been recently reported. Rizal Philippines is usually considered a low risk area, however about 200 cases and 2 deaths were reported in 2010. In South Africa 2 deaths were reported in Limpopo Province recently. In Sri Lanka there have been 580 cases reported in the last year; spread of the disease has increased by 25%. In Swaziland over 20 cases have been reported so far this year. Tropical malaria manifests with flu-like symptoms and high fever. It is recommended to use prophylactic anti-malarial medications as well as mosquito repellents containing DEET on exposed skin and Permethrin on outer clothing, mosquito netting and bedding.

Humanitarian Aid Travel Alerts

March 11, 2011 Japan was hit by an 8.9 earthquake and tsunami. Flood waters and standing waters pose various risks, including infectious diseases, chemical hazards, and injuries. Increased incidence of Diarrheal diseases, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Polio, Hepatitis A & B, Meningitis, and Measles, Mumps, Rubella can arise after a natural disaster. Radiation is also a risk in Japan now. The adverse health effects of radiation exposure can range from mild effects, such as skin reddening, to serious effects such as cancer and death, depending on the amount of radiation absorbed by the body, the type of radiation, the route of exposure, and the length of time a person was exposed. Travelers should be aware and properly protected before traveling to Japan. In January 2010, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 earthquake. It is estimated that 230,000 people died and 300,000 people were injured. Cholera was first detected in October 2010, and to date 3759 deaths have been reported. The outbreak is expected to continue for a period of years unless the current poor water and sanitation conditions are resolved. Increased incidence of Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Polio, Hepatitis A & B, Meningitis, Tuberculosis and Measles, Mumps, Rubella have been reported. Even before the earthquake, Haiti had the highest tuberculosis rate in the Americas. In normal times, Haiti sees about 30,000 new cases of tuberculosis each year. Dengue Fever and Malaria are both endemic in Haiti. Travelers should be aware and properly protected against present diseases in Haiti.

Call or click Passport Health today
800-741-0504
http://www.passporthealthusa.com/locations/pa/philadelphia/481/

On Site Travel Clinics

Have more than a few people traveling to the same destination? Passport Health will come on-site to your company, school, church, or other organization to deliver the same quality care you experience in any of our offices. Our on-site clinical team can provide a full and comprehensive line of services including all vaccines, required paperwork, consent forms, vaccine information sheets, record keeping, payment and disposal of medical waste.

If requested, our staff can work with you to develop promotional materials, such as email messages, brochures or posters, well in advance to help you promote attendance at your clinic.

Our Travel Medicine Specialists are well versed in vaccines and can adapt a program to suite your specific needs. Employers have little more to do than select a date and provide us with a space to vaccinate.
Call or Click today
800-741-0504
http://www.passporthealthusa.com/locations/pa/philadelphia/481/