FAQs

Dr. Koop recommends the following routine immunizations for adults:

Influenza Vaccine (flu shot) is recommended annually in the fall (best in October or November).

Pneumonia Vaccines: Prevnar-13 is a one-time vaccine recommended for adults age 65 and older. Ideally it is administered one year before the other type of pneumonia vaccine (Pneumovax). Pneumovax is also a one-time vaccine recommended for adults over 65 years of age. For adults with a chronic disease such as lung disease, heart disease, cancer, kidney disease and diabetes, these vaccines can be given earlier and can be repeated.

Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis Vaccine (TdAP) every 10 years for all adults. If patients over 65 have already received one, future revaccinations can be with Tetanus/Diphtheria only.

Shingles vaccine (Shingrix) is indicated for adults over 50 regardless of whether the adult has had chickenpox, shingles or the prior shingles vaccine. It is about 95% effective in preventing shingles. It requires two doses, the second dose 2-6 months after the first dose.

Absolutely. Many residents of Naples travel outside of the area regularly and for different periods of time. Dr. Koop will be happy to help coordinate any care you may require when you are out of the area. Dr. Koop can speak with the physicians and provide important background information and medical information to expedite your care while away.

Dr. Koop will always insure there is someone available to provide care to his patients when he is away. He works closely with Dr. Paul Jones (pauljonesmd.com), Dr. George Ferguson, Dr. Ronald Garry and Dr. Obayed Khan, all who are in similar private concierge practices. They will cover for each other when one of the doctors goes out of town. If you call Dr. Koop’s office while he is away, you will automatically be directed to one of these physicians.

Dr. Koop’s nurse can monitor your protime in the office by performing a fingerstick protime. The results are quickly available allowing us to adjust your warfarin dose right away, before you leave the office.

Cash and check are preferred. Certain credit cards are accepted on request.

This depends on several factors but especially your height. Learn about the Body Mass Index, called the BMI, a number that compares weight to the height. Dr. Koop has this information in his office and would be pleased to review this with you.

A normal pulse is generally 60-100 beats per minute. Some people can have a lower pulse rate normally, especially if they are on certain medications or if they are very athletic.

All our pricing is based on an hourly rate of $145 per hour. Contact us today for an estimate.

For people who need to keep track of their blood pressure, regularly measuring it at home may provide a more accurate reading, since blood pressure might be artificially high in the doctor’s office. There are a number of digital devices that make it easy to test your blood pressure at home.

When shopping for monitors, go for machines that use arm cuffs, which tend to be more accurate than devices with wrist monitors, says Nancy Miller, associate director of the Stanford Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Patients should consult a doctor to ensure they’re using proper measurement techniques and to determine their blood-pressure goals, she adds.

We tested four monitors for ease of use:

Omron Premium Blood Pressure Monitor

Availability: omronhealthcare.com
Price: $99.99
Comment: This monitor can save readings for two people and has a guest setting. There’s also a feature that detects irregular heartbeat. The monitor comes with a carrying case and is small enough to travel with. There are just five buttons on the monitor, which helps keep the measurement process simple.

Homedics Deluxe Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor

Availability: Homedics.com
Price: $99.99
Comment: This monitor includes two sizes of arm cuffs. It can save as many as 120 total readings for two people. We found this machine easy to use and the directions were straightforward. It also came with a protective carrying case.

LifeSource Wireless Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor

Availability: lifesourceonline.com
Price: $129.99
Comment: The simplest of the monitors we tested, this machine has only one button, which starts the measurement process. Since this is a wireless monitor, batteries are required. It’s also the only one that didn’t have an AC adapter. It features free computer software to track your blood pressure. While we at first had trouble installing the software on one PC, the program worked fine on another. The monitor sent all of our readings wirelessly to our computer via a USB device that plugged into the hard drive.

Samsung Healthy Living Deluxe Blood Pressure Monitor

Availability: Samsunghealthyliving.com
Price: $55.94
Comment: Although the instructions could have been clearer, this machine was fairly simple to use. It comes with two cuffs for small and large arms, and a carrying case. The device has simple-to-use software that lets users record and transfer their readings to their PCs.

Information from Article: “Putting the Squeeze On” – Wall Street Journal