Los Angeles Times - June 2, 2011

Palm Beach Post - September 15, 2009

John H. Fullerton, MD Certified by Addiction Medicine Board (ABAM)

Press release from the American Board of Addiction Medicine announcing John H. Fullerton, MD among the just over 2,500 physicians in the United States to be certified by ABAM and an acknowledgment of his expertise in the field of Addiction Medicine.

Announcement - April 2011

Resources:

In a forum made possible by an educational grant from Gaymar Industries, Inc., the panel discussed the nature of EOL skin changes - including the Kennedy Terminal Ulcer - and possible definitions; the need to educate clinicians and the public on the social, legal and financial ramifications of this condition; and suggested research into the etiology, diagnosis and recommended pathways of care.

Issued October 2009

Hospice Diagnosis Guidelines – Hospice By The Bay

Guidelines provided by Hospice By The Bay (http://www.hospicebythebay.org), the second oldest hospice in the nation founded in 1975. Hospice By The Bay serves Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Sonoma counties providing high-quality, compassionate, end-of-life care for patients and support to family members and caregivers.

Feeding Dementia Patients with Dignity

A preferred and humanitarian approach to palliative care, providing "comfort feeding" to patients with dementia by Roni Caryn Robin.

NY Times - August 2, 2010

The American Medical Association Caregiver Health Self-Assessment Questionnaire helps caregivers analyze their own behavior and health risks and, with their physician's help, make decisions that will benefit both the caregiver and the patient. In turn, it enables physicians to identify and provide preventive services to an at-risk but hidden population and improve communication and enhance the physician-family caregiver health partnership.

Professional Issues: The Physician-PA Team

An important and informative look at the role of the Physician Assistant and The Physician-PA Team as it appeared in the American Academy of Physician Assistants ‘Issue Brief’.

January 2010

Hampton Health, Ltd. – PALS™ Assisted Living Patient & Family Support

Information on the focus of Hampton Health, Ltd. and the innovative medical services it provides within Assisted and Independent Living Communities through the Intellectual Property Subsidiary, PALS™ (Physician Assisted Living Solutions).

The PALS™ Diabetic Program

The PALS™ Diabetic Program offers a complete care program designed to enhance the health and well-being for those with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Definitions:

What is a Geriatrician?

Geriatric Medicine is a subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine or Family Practice. Practitioners within this subspecialty have special knowledge of the aging process and special skills in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness in elder patients.

These specialists care for geriatric patients in the patient's home, assisted or independent living communities, medical offices and hospitals, and are in a position to clinically instruct the next generation of medical students, PA students, and medical residents in geriatric and palliative medicine.

Geriatricians are trained to recognize the unusual presentations of illness and drug interactions, to utilize resources such as community social services, and to assist with special ethical issues in the care of elder patients

What Do All Of The Initials Mean?

Dr. John H. Fullerton, MD, MRO, CMD, CFP, FACP, AGSF, FAAHPM:

MD - Medical Doctor

MRO - Medical Review Officer

CMD - Certified Medical Director

CFP - Certified Forensic Physician

FACP - Fellow, American College of Physicians

AGSF - Fellow, American Geriatric Society

FAAHPM - Fellow, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

What is an MRO?

Defined by the Medical Review Officer Certification Counsel (MROCC) (by 49-CFR part 40-- section 1.2) as:

"A licensed physician responsible for receiving laboratory results generated by an agency's drug testing program who has knowledge of substance abuse disorders and has appropriate medical training to interpret and evaluate an individual's positive test result together with his or her medical history and all other relevant biomedical information."

What Is The Importance Of Board Certification?

Dr. Fullerton is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, and Addiction Medicine (by ABAM), as well as board certified as a Medical Review Officer (MRO by the MROCC), Forensic Physician, Medical Director and Home Care Physician.

Board certification is a voluntary act and there is no mandate that doctors become board certified. However, board certification demonstrates a physician’s exceptional expertise in a particular specialty and/or subspecialty of medical practice and has become the gold standard when looking for credentials of physicians.

For the patient, board certification provides the assurance that doctors have not only been trained in their specialty, but have been tested with a national standardized examination.

What Does PA-C Stand For?

A Physician Assistant (PA) is a licensed health professional who practices medicine under the supervision of a physician. A physician assistant provides a broad range of health care services that were traditionally performed by a doctor. As part of the physician/PA team, a physician assistant exercises considerable autonomy in diagnosing and treating illnesses.

A Physician Assistant-Certified, means that the person who holds the title has met the defined course of study and has undergone testing by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). The NCCPA is an independent organization, with commissioners representing a number of different medical professions.

To maintain the C after PA, a physician assistant must log 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and take the recertification exam every six years.

The duties of a PA may vary with training, experience, and state laws, but in general, a PA can provide approximately 80 percent of the services typically provided by a family physician, which include, but are not limited to, the following list.

• Take health histories
• Perform physical examinations
• Order and interpret X-rays and laboratory tests
• Perform routine diagnostic tests
• Establish diagnoses
• Treat and manage patient health problems
• Administer immunizations and injections
• Instruct and counsel patients
• Provide continuing care to patients in the home, hospital, or extended care facility
• Provide referrals within the health care system
• Perform minor surgery
• Suture wounds
• Provide preventative health care services
• Respond to life-threatening emergencies

And in most states including California

• Write prescriptions
• Treat patients when the physician is away from the practice

The Physician/PA Team

Each PA must be supervised by a physician. The physician supervises the PA either when both are at the same location or by telephone. The supervising physician must always be available to the PA should the need arise. The supervising physician is responsible for following each patient's progress.