They tell me my diagnosis is pretty common, that millions of Americans suffer with low back pain. I’ve also heard that next to the common cold, missing work from low back pain is the biggest reason. With these two major known facts, I then wondered why getting the correct treatment for low back pain is so difficult.

After being diagnosed with a herniated disc and bone disc degenerative disease, I was immediately scheduled to see a surgeon. The surgeon suggested I have back surgery. To make a long story short, after a lot of prayer, a lot of thought, and after talking to many people who already have had surgery with my same diagnosis, I chose against surgery.

After deciding against surgery, I found I was immediately cast in a different light, by my doctor, and the medical community in general. I found my pain was then not taken seriously. I felt disbelieved about how much I hurt. I actually felt like a drug addict when asking for something for the pain. It appeared my physician felt back surgery was the end all cure all to my back & leg pain.

To the contrary studies have shown, back surgery may actually cause more pain, complications, and even damage that requires more follow up surgery. Knowing physicians and surgeons are already aware of this, it really makes you wonder why they would put you at such risk. I wish some of these healthcare professionals would just once switch places with me for one day living with chronic low back pain.

As a chronic pain sufferer, I’m dedicated to helping other chronic pain sufferers who suffer from pain in any manner.

Generic Drugs: Generic Online Pharmacies started making a big impact on the net since the mid to late 90′s. This has allowed the prescription drug buyer to save hundreds with the click of a mouse. Generics really slash the prices on prescription drugs and medications because they do not carry brand names but they are essentially the same drug. As the cost of prescription drugs and medications continue to soar, more and more Americans are choosing Generic Pharmacies to maintain their quality of life. Buying prescription drugs and medications through Generic Pharmacies is a true alternative to paying the high medication prices that a bricks and mortar pharmacy would charge.

What are Generic Drugs? A generic pharmaceutical drug is identical to a brand name drug in safety, strength and quality. Even though generics are identical to brand name drugs, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.Typically, savings of at 50 to 70 per cent can be saved for the average consumer It has been estimated that generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more when hospitals use generics.

Are Generic Drugs Safe? One of the most common concerns about purchasing Generic Drugs from online pharmacies is the safety of the drugs, and the safety of the patients ordering them.In most cases, generic drugs are considered safe due to the testing process used by the Food and Drug Administration and must meet or exceed all strict quality control standards, in compliance with WHO international guidelines.

If brand-name drugs and generic drugs have the same active ingredients, why do they look different? Trademark laws do not allow a generic drug to look like the brand-name drug. However, a generic drug must duplicate the active ingredient. Colors, flavors, and certain other inactive ingredients may be different.

Does every brand-name drug have a generic counterpart? No. Brand-name drugs are generally given patent protection for 20 years from the date of submission of the patent.

Are generic drugs as strong as brand-name drugs? Yes. FDA requires generic drugs to have the same quality as brand-name drugs.

Do generic drugs take longer to work in the body? No. Generic drugs are basically the same in quality, strength, purity as brand-name drugs.

More and more people every day are taking advantage of the savings that Generic Pharmacies offer. Purchasing your prescription drugs and medications from Generic Pharmacies or internet pharmacies has never been easier.

Many doctors ask: Why is EMR so expensive? This question as it appears can seem simple in nature. While exploring this topic, you can find so many variations in the EMR products’ features and functions. In most cases, a large or majority of the total cost of an EMR is in the training and implementation services, not in the software.

But in many cases products will include more features than one needs or the manufacturer of the product is generally focused on larger sized groups making it more expensive for smaller ones. Additionally, as a practice, the question of technical proficiencies needs to be addressed. If a product is more technically advanced than the user, the user will not receive the full usage of the application. If the product is not being used to its full functionality, nobody wins. If this happens, the practice is not satisfied, and the vendor now has an unsatisfied end user. This is why matching up the practice with the right EMR is so critical. The opposite effect can be just as frustrating.

Cost is a fact in the investment of an EMR. An entry level EMR can cost as little as $3,000, and advanced level EMRs can cost over $100,000, even for a solo physician practice. The word “expense” should be replaced with the word “investment”. Once a practice has converted to the EMR, they can now look back and understand the difference in those two, very different words. When the EMR is running at full functionality, the practice becomes very efficient. No more hunting for paper charts. A single “click” of the mouse, and the patient’s entire record is in the hands of the appropriate user. Multiple users can access the same record simultaneously as well; allowing for greater productivity. The investment now begins to pay dividends.

Which is better? An integrated EMR system or a modular EMR? Having a portion of the practice automated can be a benefit, just as it can be a challenge to overcome. There are many EMR vendors that have a Practice Management application built into their system. Many of these products can be a total replacement of existing applications, usually a older medical billing software. Be advised that not all EMR vendors have the capability to integrate with an existing software product. This is all very important to identify prior to committing to an EMR vendor. Running separate systems simultaneously can bring much unneeded frustration if not appropriately integrated in the beginning as you will need to deal with two different companies for technical support.

The number of modules that can be integrated can vary significantly from vendor to vendor. Consideration of the charge for an HL7 (as explained earlier in this document) interface should also be taken into account. The interface between your existing system and your new EMR can often cost as much as $5000 making it often more financially viable to purchase an integrated system from the beginning.