Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

High-risk surgery patients who visit primary care physician have lower risk of hospital readmissions

Patients who have post-operative complications following high-risk surgery have a significantly lower risk of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days if they go see their primary care physician soon following discharge, a new study in JAMA Surgery shows.

27 Jun 2014

Research roundup: Role of primary care in reducing readmissions; air transport for wounded soldiers; hospital prices

Follow-up with a primary care provider (PCP) in addition to the surgical team is routinely recommended to patients discharged after major surgery despite no clear evidence that it improves outcomes.

27 Jun 2014

Study calls for improvements in physicians' inconsistent record of ordering lab tests

Why does one physician in a walk-in practice order laboratory monitoring tests for patients more often than a colleague working down the hallway?

27 Jun 2014

Poll: 5 percent of 2013 uninsured now have coverage

The Gallup survey pegged the uninsured rate at 13 percent. Meanwhile, in exchange news, The Denver Post notes increased sign-ups, and Oregon works to retain workers for its troubled marketplace.

26 Jun 2014

House approves trauma care programs, newborn screening changes

The House on Tuesday passed legislation by voice vote to reauthorize trauma care programs. Traumatic injury is the top cause of death for people under age 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control. One of the bills, H.R. 4080, would reauthorize Trauma Care System Planning Grants to boost access to trauma care through fiscal 2019 (Marcos, 6/24).

25 Jun 2014

Study: Weight loss linked with increased sleep duration

Obese adults who lose at least 5 percent of their body weight report that they sleep better and longer after six months of weight loss, according to a new study.

25 Jun 2014

Missouri proposes 'assistant physician' role for rural areas

The bill, if signed by Gov. Jay Nixon, would allow medical school graduates to see patients before completing their residencies.

25 Jun 2014

Patients receiving home oxygen therapy can lower risk of burns by shaving facial hair

Facial hair and home oxygen therapy can prove a dangerously combustible combination, a Mayo Clinic report published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings finds.

24 Jun 2014

State highlights: Ohio managed care plans launch; Bluecross Blueshield plan faces Ore. lawsuit; N.Y. policy on unvaccinated children upheld

A selection of health policy stories from Ohio, Oregon, New York, Colorado, Iowa, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, California and Minnesota.

24 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: Concerns about ACOs; problems in Va. gov.'s strategy; Medicaid 'black hole'

Although Obamacare's health insurance expansion has directly provided coverage to only about 4 percent of Americans, changes embedded in the Affordable Care Act could affect many more people, and not always in good ways.

24 Jun 2014

Parents opt for emergency room visits to help children attend child care

Substantial proportions of parents chose urgent care or emergency department visits when their sick children were excluded from attending child care, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers.

23 Jun 2014

Physician describes ways to combat post-cancer pain

More and more people are surviving their cancer. Unfortunately, sometimes survival can come with pain. Although many people won't feel any pain after their cancer treatment, some may have chronic, bothersome pain.

23 Jun 2014

Lack of federal funding and Medicaid expansions can impact community health centers

A special federal fund to support community health centers expires after September 2015, creating a funding cliff for primary care clinics located in medically underserved areas.

20 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: Working for benefits; fears for a pill to prevent HIV; possible Medicaid strategy for Virginia

[Economist Robert] Moffitt noted in an email that "the work incentives in the government safety net have greatly increased over the last 20 years: less welfare payments if you don't work, and much greater government payments if you do."

19 Jun 2014

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Alexian Brothers Health System is suspending its effort to launch a new Medicaid program, blaming the difficulty of connecting physicians using different electronic records systems. The Arlington Heights, Ill.-based health system was spearheading a so-called accountable care entity (ACE) to coordinate the care of about 46,000 patients on Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. The ACEs are a form of managed care, one of Gov. Pat Quinn's initiatives to focus on preventative treatment to keep patients healthy and reduce health care costs (Schorsch, 6/17).

19 Jun 2014

Study demonstrates cost-effectiveness of Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation

In a recent study published in Tobacco Control, researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC), an intervention that includes in-hospital counseling, pharmacotherapy and post-hospital follow-up, compared to usual care among smokers hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

19 Jun 2014

U of MD researchers to use $3.7 million NIH grant to develop novel method to treat monogenic diabetes

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a four-year, $3.7 million grant to researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to develop a personalized medicine program to help doctors diagnose and treat monogenic diabetes - a form of diabetes caused by a mutation in a single gene.

19 Jun 2014

Bill to give veterans private medical care advances in house

The Rules Committee approved the measure Tuesday. In other news on veterans' care, a Kansas senator pushes the administration to keep a pilot project offering some of that same flexibility in rural areas and the White House is turning to experts for help in picking a new leader for the VA.

19 Jun 2014

Centene's Kansas subsidiary receives NCQA Health Plan Accreditation

Centene Corporation has announced that its wholly owned Kansas subsidiary, Sunflower Health Plan, has received Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

18 Jun 2014

Joslin and CSHI partner to develop online "virtual" case based interactive educational materials

Joslin Diabetes Center and Carlos Slim Health Institute (CSHI) announced they have created a partnership to develop a series of online "virtual" case based interactive educational materials for primary care physicians in Mexico. The educational materials will cover topics such as, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes as well as its complications and co-morbidities.

18 Jun 2014

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

High-risk surgery patients who visit primary care physician have lower risk of hospital readmissions

Research roundup: Role of primary care in reducing readmissions; air transport for wounded soldiers; hospital prices

Study calls for improvements in physicians' inconsistent record of ordering lab tests

Poll: 5 percent of 2013 uninsured now have coverage

House approves trauma care programs, newborn screening changes

Study: Weight loss linked with increased sleep duration

Missouri proposes 'assistant physician' role for rural areas

Patients receiving home oxygen therapy can lower risk of burns by shaving facial hair

State highlights: Ohio managed care plans launch; Bluecross Blueshield plan faces Ore. lawsuit; N.Y. policy on unvaccinated children upheld

Viewpoints: Concerns about ACOs; problems in Va. gov.'s strategy; Medicaid 'black hole'

Parents opt for emergency room visits to help children attend child care

Physician describes ways to combat post-cancer pain

Lack of federal funding and Medicaid expansions can impact community health centers

Viewpoints: Working for benefits; fears for a pill to prevent HIV; possible Medicaid strategy for Virginia

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Study demonstrates cost-effectiveness of Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation

U of MD researchers to use $3.7 million NIH grant to develop novel method to treat monogenic diabetes

Bill to give veterans private medical care advances in house

Centene's Kansas subsidiary receives NCQA Health Plan Accreditation

Joslin and CSHI partner to develop online "virtual" case based interactive educational materials

How GLP‑1 Agonists Are Shaping the Future of Obesity Treatment With Dr Bryony Henderson

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Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

How GLP‑1 Agonists Are Shaping the Future of Obesity Treatment With Dr Bryony Henderson

Flow chemistry, AI, and NMR: A next-gen approach to scalable API production

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

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