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Editor's note: This is the first article of a two-part series about flu season. Next month, we'll tell you how to keep your patients informed about available vaccines and other preventive measures. It starts with a little sniffle here, a polite cough there. Then, before you know it, your waiting room is congested with people suffering from the full-blown influenza virus (i.e., the flu). If this describes your waiting room year after year, it may be time to change the way your practice prepares for flu season. Whether you see hundreds or thousands of patients, take the following steps to get your patients vaccinated and keep the spread of the flu in your community under control