Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Roundup: Ga. 'provider fee' defeat could mean $430M less for Medicaid; Minn. health programs in line for $37M cut over fiscal cliff; Calif. stem cell board criticized

Just weeks before the 2013 General Assembly convenes, the state's provider fee, called a "bed tax" by some, remains a high-profile wild card -- one that could deal Georgia's hospital industry a crippling blow. If the fee is not renewed -- and anti-tax forces will oppose it -- the Medicaid system may lose $430 million-plus that the assessment now generates. That loss would swell the state's Medicaid financial shortfall, which is already about $400 million (Miller, 12/6).

7 Dec 2012

Research Roundup: Medicare Advantage Plan beneficiaries may get more appropriate use of services; CHIP participation grows; College students' flu vaccination rates weak

Analysis Of Medicare Advantage HMOs Compared With Traditional Medicare Shows Lower Use of Many Services During 2003-09 – Researchers compared the utilization rates of Medicare Advantage health maintenance organizations (HMOs) with those of traditional Medicare beneficiaries, 2003-09, "to ascertain whether the HMO enrollees demonstrated different levels of use of services, which can be a hallmark of more integrated care."

7 Dec 2012

Medicare advisory group recommends 1% increase in hospital rates

The head of the group that advises Congress on Medicare issued the draft recommendation, which will be voted on by the full board in January.

7 Dec 2012

Bill would give FDA clearer authority over drug compounders

The bill, introduced in Congress, would also direct the Food and Drug Administration to train state regulators -- whose oversights may have contributed to the meningitis outbreak that sickened more than 500 and killed at least 36.

7 Dec 2012

Weekly telephone contact with nurses reduces hospital re-admissions for high-risk patients

Weekly telephone contact with a nurse substantially reduced hospital re-admissions for high-risk patients, according to results of a University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) study.

7 Dec 2012

Few new doctors choose primary care

Less than a quarter of new doctors are choosing primary care as their specialty, even after finishing residency programs focused on internal medicine, a new study reports.

6 Dec 2012

North Shore-LIJ, VA open Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families

Representatives from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the North Shore-LIJ Health System and local veterans today celebrated the opening of the Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families, a first-of-its-kind facility designed to help military families cope with the emotional burdens veterans frequently face after returning home from combat.

6 Dec 2012

World Bank study examines quality of health care in India

A study led by World Bank economist Jishnu Das and published in Health Affairs on Monday examines the quality of primary care delivered by private and public health care providers in rural and urban India, a World Bank press release notes.

6 Dec 2012

Roundup: Building more Texas medical schools; Calif. mental health care for children

Recommendations in a new draft report on Texas undergraduate medical education caution against rushing to build any new medical schools, which may irk those that are pushing to do exactly that. The report was prepared by the staff of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and posted on the agency's website on Monday in preparation for an upcoming meeting of their Task Force on Graduate Health Professions.

5 Dec 2012

Study explores osteoporosis racial differences in women

About 30 million women in the U.S. have osteoporosis, with low bone mass and deteriorating bone structure that increases their risk for fractures. Racial differences in the rates of detection and management of osteoporosis were explored in a study of African American and white women published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

5 Dec 2012

Intervention helps postmenopausal women relax

Applied relaxation techniques could help postmenopausal women significantly reduce the number of hot flashes they experience each day, research suggests.

4 Dec 2012

Scheduled Medicare doctor pay cut could be just a few weeks away

Medscape and The Connecticut Mirror covered the looming 26.5 percent cut, mandated by the SGR law.

4 Dec 2012

Structured hypertension care: VIPER lacks real bite

An intensive structured care program for hypertension management in primary care leads to some improvements in blood pressure control, results from the VIPER-BP trial show.

3 Dec 2012

Men should see a doctor and be proactive about their health, say UAB experts

Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) say a man's tendency to wait until the onset of sickness to see his doctor is a major detriment to health because key screenings are missed.

1 Dec 2012

Retail clinics could undermine primary care patient-physician relationships

Using retail walk-in health clinics, often located inside pharmacies or big-box stores, for simple acute care problems can interfere with establishing and maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider, finds a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

1 Dec 2012

Collaborative care significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes

Collaborative care, a model that involves multiple clinicians working with a patient, significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes compared to standard primary care treatment for up to two years, finds a new review by The Cochrane Library.

1 Dec 2012

NCQA accredits Jefferson Medical Care - South Philadelphia as Patient-Centered Medical Home

Jefferson Medical Care - South Philadelphia, a primary care practice, has received accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, showing its commitment to evidence-based, patient-centered care that focuses on coordinated and long-term collaborative patient-physician partnerships.

1 Dec 2012

New Weill Cornell campaign to improve hypertension prevention, detection and control

The Weill Cornell Physician Organization at Weill Cornell Medical College has joined more than 120 medical groups and health systems nationwide to launch the new health campaign Measure Up, Pressure Down aimed to improve high blood pressure prevention, detection and control.

1 Dec 2012

Rural cancer survivors more likely to have poor health outcomes

Cancer survivors who live in rural areas are more likely to say they are in poor health than those who live in urban areas, according to a study in the journal Cancer. They are also more likely to have other health disorders, more psychological distress, and be unemployed due to health reasons than city dwellers.

30 Nov 2012

State highlights: Ruling on privatizing Fla. prison care expected soon; 7-year antitrust suit settled in Fla.; Calif. insurers seek rate hikes

A Florida judge quoted from Sherlock Holmes and conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Thursday as he questioned the state's plan to privatize prison health care services.

30 Nov 2012

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Roundup: Ga. 'provider fee' defeat could mean $430M less for Medicaid; Minn. health programs in line for $37M cut over fiscal cliff; Calif. stem cell board criticized

Research Roundup: Medicare Advantage Plan beneficiaries may get more appropriate use of services; CHIP participation grows; College students' flu vaccination rates weak

Medicare advisory group recommends 1% increase in hospital rates

Bill would give FDA clearer authority over drug compounders

Weekly telephone contact with nurses reduces hospital re-admissions for high-risk patients

Few new doctors choose primary care

North Shore-LIJ, VA open Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and Their Families

World Bank study examines quality of health care in India

Roundup: Building more Texas medical schools; Calif. mental health care for children

Study explores osteoporosis racial differences in women

Intervention helps postmenopausal women relax

Scheduled Medicare doctor pay cut could be just a few weeks away

Structured hypertension care: VIPER lacks real bite

Men should see a doctor and be proactive about their health, say UAB experts

Retail clinics could undermine primary care patient-physician relationships

Collaborative care significantly improves depression and anxiety outcomes

NCQA accredits Jefferson Medical Care - South Philadelphia as Patient-Centered Medical Home

New Weill Cornell campaign to improve hypertension prevention, detection and control

Rural cancer survivors more likely to have poor health outcomes

State highlights: Ruling on privatizing Fla. prison care expected soon; 7-year antitrust suit settled in Fla.; Calif. insurers seek rate hikes

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

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The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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