Shield Medical Group

Is Your Doctor Really In Your Medicare Advantage Network?

Medicare 2027: Short 9 of 16. Save this series as you review your coverage.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520

Dr. Kundlas

For general education only, not medical advice. Check Medicare.gov and your plan documents for your situation. In an emergency, call 911.

Flu season may be starting earlier this year. In CDC data for the week ending October 3, 3.6% of flu tests at clinical labs were positive. At this time last year it was about 0.5%, roughly seven times lower.

If you are 65 or older, or live with diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease, flu can lead to pneumonia and a hospital stay. CDC says activity is rising but still low, and it is too early to know how severe this season will be.

A flu shot lowers the risk of serious illness, and protection builds in about two weeks. If you have not had yours, talk with your healthcare provider now. If you are 65 or older, ask about the flu vaccines recommended for older adults: high dose, adjuvanted, or recombinant.

Sources:
CDC FluView, 2026 Week 39
https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-39.html
CDC FluView, 2025 Week 39 and Week 40
https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-39.html
https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-40.html
CDC, Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines/keyfacts.html

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
Educational only. This is general education, not a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own health. In an emergency, call 911.

When a night calf cramp hits, you need a clear plan, not panic.

Sit up. Stay calm. Hold the toes of the cramped foot and gently pull them up toward your shin. Keep the knee fairly straight. Hold 20 to 30 seconds. Breathe out slowly.

Cannot reach? Use a towel, belt, or sheet.

Then walk a few slow steps, rub the calf, and drink some water. Call if cramps wake you most nights, or if the muscle stays weak or swollen.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
Educational only. This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own health. In an emergency, call 911.

What Are the Biggest Medicare Advantage Tradeoffs?

Medicare 2027: Short 8 of 16. Save this series as you review your coverage.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520

Dr. Kundlas

For general education only, not medical advice. Check Medicare.gov and your plan documents for your situation. In an emergency, call 911.

ER or your doctor's office? Ask yourself one question: could this threaten my life, or disable me for good? If it might, it's an emergency.

Call 911 for chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, fainting, or a severe allergic reaction. Call 911 for stroke signs that come on suddenly: lost balance, trouble seeing, a drooping face, a weak arm, slurred speech. The same goes for a sudden severe headache, a seizure, heavy bleeding, a serious injury, high fever with a stiff neck, or sudden confusion.

Thinking about hurting yourself? Call or text 988 any time. In danger now? Call 911.

The office list: colds, flu symptoms, sore throat, ear pain, a mild rash, burning when you urinate, a minor sprain. Refills, blood pressure or sugar questions and follow-ups belong there too. Our patients get same-day sick visits, and walk-ins are welcome in Sebring and Lake Wales.

Not sure, and no warning signs? Call our P*P office first. Nights, weekends and holidays, we offer virtual visits.

Sources:
MedlinePlus, When to use the emergency room, adult
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000593.htm
American College of Emergency Physicians, Know When to Go
https://www.emergencyphysicians.org/article/know-when-to-go/know-when-to-go-overview
CDC, Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs-symptoms/index.html
988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline, Get Help
https://988lifeline.org/get-help/
Shield Medical Group, FAQ and Walk-Ins Welcome
https://shieldmedicalgroup.com/faq/
https://shieldmedicalgroup.com/walk-ins-welcome/

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
Educational only. This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own health. In an emergency, call 911.

That sudden calf cramp at night can feel like a knife in the back of your leg.

Often it starts when your foot points down while you sleep. A short calf is more ready to cramp. A nerve can fire a burst you did not ask for. The muscle locks into a hard knot.

Gently pulling your toes up toward your shin stretches that short muscle and helps the nerve calm down.

Here is the simple four-step idea behind the night calf cramp.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
Educational only. This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own health. In an emergency, call 911.

Almost every day, a patient tells me they spent hours in the ER for something my office could have handled.

Studies find that, on average, more than one in three ER visits aren't urgent. A cold, a sore throat, a mild rash, a minor sprain, a bladder infection or a refill is an office visit.

If you're our patient and you're sick, we see you the same day. Walk-ins are welcome in Sebring and Lake Wales, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Nights, weekends and holidays, you can still see us by virtual visit on your phone.

We know your chart and your medicines. It usually costs less, too. In one study, a simple infection cost more than three times as much in the ER as in a doctor's office.

Some things can't wait: chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side, trouble speaking, fainting, or bleeding that won't stop. For those, call 911. For everything else, call our P*P office first.

Sources:
Shield Medical Group FAQ
https://shieldmedicalgroup.com/faq/
Uscher-Pines et al., Am J Manag Care 2013
https://www.ajmc.com/view/emergency-department-visits-for-nonurgent-conditions-systematic-literature-review
Mehrotra et al., Ann Intern Med 2009
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2805258/
American College of Emergency Physicians, Know When to Go
https://www.emergencyphysicians.org/article/know-when-to-go/know-when-to-go-overview
MedlinePlus, When to use the emergency room
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000593.htm

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
Educational only. This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own health. In an emergency, call 911.

Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare: What's the Difference?

Medicare 2027: Short 7 of 16. Save this series as you review your coverage.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520

Dr. Kundlas

For general education only, not medical advice. Check Medicare.gov and your plan documents for your situation. In an emergency, call 911.

Mailbox full of Medicare ads, and worried about what changes next year? Get free, unbiased help before you call a number from an ad.

Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and changes you make start January 1. Read the Annual Notice of Change your plan sends each fall. Then check your drug list, whether your doctors and pharmacy are in network, and any extras like dental or vision.

For official answers, use Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). For free one-on-one counseling, call Florida SHINE at 1-800-963-5337. SHINE counselors aren't tied to any insurance company.

Medicare won't call you uninvited to ask for your Medicare number, so don't give it to a cold caller.

Shield Medical Group doesn't sell plans.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
For general education only, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.

Got a letter saying your Medicare Advantage plan is ending for 2027? Don't panic. Windermere Financial looked at CMS data, and they estimate about 3,800 Medicare Advantage members in Highlands County need to pick new coverage.

Your current plan still covers you through December 31, 2026. The yearly window to switch plans runs October 15 to December 7. Because your plan is ending, you also get extra time through February 28, but I'd still pick early so your new coverage is ready in January.

Before you choose, check that your doctors are in the new plan's network and that your medicines are covered. For free help, call SHINE or 1-800-MEDICARE.

Shield Medical Group in Sebring accepts Medicare Advantage HMO plans. Call us and we'll check whether we take your specific plan.

Questions? Call (863) 236-9550 or book with Dr. Kundlas online: healow.com/apps/provider/kulmeet-kundlas-958520
Dr. Kundlas
Educational only. This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your clinician about your own health. In an emergency, call 911.