Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Roundup: State spending drops $290 billion in 5 years; Emory hospital loses data on 315,000 patients

News outlets examine a variety of state health policy issues, including articles from California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Oregon.

20 Apr 2012

Study finds lack of cervical screening in non-Caucasian, young and socioeconomically deprived women

New research published today in the Journal of Public Health has found that cervical screening participation is significantly lower in general practices that look after a high percentage of younger-aged women, non-Caucasian women and those living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. The authors, Ji Young Bang, Ghasem Yadegarfar, Michael Soljak and Azeem Majeed, suggest that this disparity needs to be addressed by developing and implementing strategies to improve cervical screening attendance in these women.

19 Apr 2012

Study: 1 in 5 cancer patients may experience ‘breakdowns’ in their care

Cancer care is increasingly complex, and as many as one in five cancer patients may experience "breakdowns" in their care, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Such breakdowns include communication problems between patients and their care providers, as well as more traditional medical errors; both types of problems can create significant harms. In the study, communication problems outnumbered problems with medical care.

19 Apr 2012

Roundup: Texas spends $1.25M fighting federal government; Minn. doctor training money slashed; Kan. seeks to cut nursing home population

News outlets report on a variety of health policy issues in Texas, Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

18 Apr 2012

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state, alleging that it was violating patients' rights by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them and failing to provide appropriate treatment. The state settled, agreeing to an extensive court-supervised improvement plan at four hospitals with more than 4,000 patients. But a Times investigation found that the plan has failed to achieve the Justice Department's main objective: to raise the level of care so patients could control their violent tendencies and would not be institutionalized any longer than necessary.

17 Apr 2012

Regenstrief, IU develop Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation System

Researchers from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute have developed an automated system to help enable pediatricians to focus on the specific health needs of each patient in the short time allotted for preventive care.

17 Apr 2012

Decreasing GPA adherence among COX-2 users increases risk of upper GI complications

To relieve pain, arthritis sufferers are prescribed medications that may include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, both of which can irritate the digestive tract. At times additional drugs are co-prescribed with NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors to prevent adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects.

16 Apr 2012

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and are disproportionately prone to obesity and the related problems of high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers conducted a 24-month trial of more than 300 low-income, obese patients from various Boston community health centers, randomizing participants "to usual care or a behavioral intervention that promoted weight loss and hypertension self-management using eHealth components. The intervention included tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring, and skills training, available via a website or interactive voice response."

16 Apr 2012

HSS to host educational symposium on sports medicine on Apr. 19

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City is hosting an educational symposium for sports medicine professionals to address the latest surgical advances and rehabilitation techniques for professional and recreational athletes. Athletic trainers, physical therapists, coaches and other specialists will learn from the expertise of HSS' Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service as well as other leaders in the fields of sports medicine.

16 Apr 2012

Coordinated response needed to capitalize on momentum of WHO's adoption of mental health resolution

"We commend the 130th session of the WHO Executive Board for adopting a resolution calling for a comprehensive response to the global burden of mental illnesses," Rebecca Hock of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Mental Health, and colleagues, write in this Lancet opinion piece.

16 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Medicare may be unintended victim of bank crisis; Health care industry's fears of law's reversal

The banks' actions led directly to an increase in government debt, which in turn has made the reduction of that debt by "cutting runaway spending" a centerpiece of the Republican presidential campaign to date.

12 Apr 2012

The practice of medicine: What does the future hold?

Reuters reports on a survey of physician attitudes about how the health law might change their profession. Meanwhile, in California, family physicians are targeting young people in efforts to recruit future doctors.

12 Apr 2012

Takeda enters definitive agreement to acquire URL Pharma

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and URL Pharma Inc. jointly announced that Takeda's wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda America Holdings, Inc. and URL Pharma have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire URL Pharma – a privately-held pharmaceutical company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for an upfront payment of $800 million and future performance-based contingent earn out payments.

12 Apr 2012

State roundup: Calif. drug monitoring system casualty of budget cuts; Data breach in Utah worse than thought; Md. legislature approves health enterprise zones

California has the oldest continuous prescription-drug monitoring program in the U.S. … It used to rely on carbon copies. … The system went online in 1998, and that's when its full power was realized. ... So alarm bells went off among doctors and law enforcement when California Gov. Jerry Brown announced last year that, for budget reasons, he was eliminating the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, which had long managed the prescription-drug monitoring program.

11 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Scarcity of dental care; Surprise budget buster awaiting states on retiree health costs

We know that too many Americans can't afford primary care and end up in the emergency room with asthma or heart failure. But in the debate over health care coverage, less attention has been paid to the fact that too many Americans also end up in the emergency room with severe tooth abscesses that keep them from eating or infections that can travel from decayed teeth to the brain and, if untreated, kill.

10 Apr 2012

White House moves $500 million to IRS for health law implementation

The funds were diverted to the Internal Revenue Service outside the normal appropriations process to help the agency implement the overhaul. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on developments related to accountable care organizations and primary care payment issues.

10 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Health law seeks to remedy broken insurance market; Overhaul was sunk by its complexity

Commentators look at some of the underlying issues of the health law which is being considered by the Supreme Court.

10 Apr 2012

Large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers

Contrary to popular perception, a large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. What's more, they say, the old tried and true methods of eating less fat and exercising are some of the most effective paths to weight loss success.

10 Apr 2012

Cigna expands collaborative accountable care program

Cigna has expanded its collaborative accountable care program through 10 new initiatives with physician groups in seven states - Colorado, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

9 Apr 2012

New text messaging program to manage diabetes

D.C. Chartered Health Plan, Inc., the oldest Medicaid managed care organization in the District of Columbia, is launching a new text messaging program for 50 of its members to help them better manage diabetes, which requires regular care to avoid costly complications.

9 Apr 2012

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Roundup: State spending drops $290 billion in 5 years; Emory hospital loses data on 315,000 patients

Study finds lack of cervical screening in non-Caucasian, young and socioeconomically deprived women

Study: 1 in 5 cancer patients may experience ‘breakdowns’ in their care

Roundup: Texas spends $1.25M fighting federal government; Minn. doctor training money slashed; Kan. seeks to cut nursing home population

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

Regenstrief, IU develop Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation System

Decreasing GPA adherence among COX-2 users increases risk of upper GI complications

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

HSS to host educational symposium on sports medicine on Apr. 19

Coordinated response needed to capitalize on momentum of WHO's adoption of mental health resolution

Viewpoints: Medicare may be unintended victim of bank crisis; Health care industry's fears of law's reversal

The practice of medicine: What does the future hold?

Takeda enters definitive agreement to acquire URL Pharma

State roundup: Calif. drug monitoring system casualty of budget cuts; Data breach in Utah worse than thought; Md. legislature approves health enterprise zones

Viewpoints: Scarcity of dental care; Surprise budget buster awaiting states on retiree health costs

White House moves $500 million to IRS for health law implementation

Viewpoints: Health law seeks to remedy broken insurance market; Overhaul was sunk by its complexity

Large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers

Cigna expands collaborative accountable care program

New text messaging program to manage diabetes

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

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