Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Patients on immunosuppressant medication can receive H1N1 vaccine in the form of shots

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified all children, 6-months to 24-years, one of the high risk groups for contracting the H1N1 (swine) flu, and recommend this population receive the H1N1 vaccine for immunity against the disease.

30 Oct 2009

AMGA: Medical practices nationwide focus on 'meaningful use' of electronic health records

As medical practices nationwide focus on "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs), the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) reports encouraging findings from a survey of AMGA member medical groups. Although few groups have yet to fully achieve all the benefits they anticipated when they began implementation, virtually all groups now have even higher expectations for the potential of health IT, as a result of their experience.

30 Oct 2009

Iowa medical home provides lessons for health care reform

The Associated Press looks at what benefits medical homes may bring to health care by looking at one in Iowa: "A thousand miles from the health care debate in Washington, Dr. Don Klitgaard and his colleagues are carrying out their own reform in a small Iowa community."

29 Oct 2009

eHealth Ontario and OntarioMD partner to implement the "EMR Adoption Program"

Nightingale Informatix Corporation, an application service provider (ASP) of electronic medical record (EMR) software and related services, is pleased to report that the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) announced to its physician members that it has successfully negotiated $236 million in funding with the government of Ontario to advance the adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) among practice-based family physicians and specialists in the province.

29 Oct 2009

Geisinger's orthopaedics department awarded $97,000 grant for expanding its advanced medical home study

A Geisinger orthopaedic surgeon recently received a $97,000 grant from the Orthopaedic Trauma Association for a pilot study that will expand Geisinger's ProvenHealth Navigator advanced medical home to include care for patients recovering from hip fractures.

29 Oct 2009

Allergan reports operating results for the third quarter of 2009

Allergan, Inc. today announced operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. Allergan also announced that its Board of Directors has declared a third quarter dividend of $0.05 per share, payable on November 30, 2009 to stockholders of record on November 9, 2009.

29 Oct 2009

Ipsen announces sales highlights for the first nine months of 2009

Ipsen reported its sales for the third quarter and first nine months of 2009.

29 Oct 2009

GE Healthcare to provide surveillance data for H1N1 and seasonal influenza activity throughout the U.S.

GE Healthcare, one of the leading providers of healthcare information technology, today announced its selection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide extensive surveillance data for H1N1 and seasonal influenza activity throughout the United States.

29 Oct 2009

Obama seeks health reform support from small businesses

Roll Call: "The White House is aggressively courting the small-business community, believing that some on GOP-friendly Main Street can be enlisted in the fight for health care reform and that assistance to mom-and-pop shops is vital to chipping away at the unemployment rate. ... White House officials were on the phone to the [U.S. Chamber of Commerce] and the GOP-leaning National Federation of Independent Business on Friday asking them to provide a group of small-business owners for Obama to talk with at the White House on Thursday."

28 Oct 2009

States face unpopular cuts in health spending

State governments, especially New York's, are facing budget gaps that officials hope to close with cuts to health spending. But, their constituents are resisting the proposed changes that could result in fewer services.

28 Oct 2009

New CCS guidelines and position papers for physicians and nurse practitioners

Several new guidelines and position papers offering the most up to date information to ensure that clinicians practice evidence-based medicine were released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009 this week.

28 Oct 2009

Vascular surgeons are endovascularly-trained and have better safety records

Vascular surgeons have the highest market share and the lowest overall mortality and morbidity rates for peripheral arterial interventions (PAI), when compared to interventional cardiologists and interventional radiologists who also perform this procedure.

28 Oct 2009

Arena Pharmaceuticals presents data from its Phase 3 trial of LOrcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported today data from the pivotal BLOSSOM (Behavioral modification and LOrcaserin Second Study for Obesity Management) Phase 3 trial that demonstrate improvements in patients' body composition, cardiovascular risk factors and quality of life. These findings add to the previously announced top-line BLOSSOM data that showed highly significant weight loss with lorcaserin over one year of treatment in 4,008 patients.

28 Oct 2009

HHS funds projects to combat health care-associated infections

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $17 million to fund projects to fight costly and dangerous health care-associated infections, or HAIs.

28 Oct 2009

Not enough med students choosing primary care, experts say

"It's one small piece of health care reform, but it's a big deal for medical schools and doctor's offices: forgiving the student loans of doctors who choose primary care," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

27 Oct 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Health Reform Will Increase Medicaid Costs The Philadelphia Inquirer The financial stakes are high for the states, nearly all of which are struggling just to discharge their current Medicaid commitments (Laura Katz Olson, 10/27).

27 Oct 2009

BJC HealthCare to purchase Solos Endoscopy's MammoView line of products

Solos Endoscopy, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Company has received purchase orders for its MammoView(TM) line of surgical endoscopy instruments from BJC HealthCare, St. Louis Missouri. BJC HealthCare is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States, delivering services to residents primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions.

27 Oct 2009

A new choice in healthcare for residents of Chicago's suburbs

A new choice in healthcare is coming to residents of Chicago's suburbs. Santiago A. Candocia, M.D. and Richard Stern, M.D., of Winnetka and Stewart Segal, M.D. of Lake Zurich, are now part of the growing number of physicians across the nation to offer a new healthcare option to patients: the hybrid model of concierge care.

27 Oct 2009

Insurer contracting policies can jeopardize health care system, says NNCC study

A study conducted by National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) has found that nearly half (48%) of all major managed-care organizations in the United States do not credential or contract with nurse practitioners as primary care providers.

27 Oct 2009

Lack of optimal pain care delivery system costs more than $100 billion each year

A new Pain Medicine Position Paper published by leaders of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), reveals businesses lose $61 billion annually due to ineffective pain care and the lack of optimal pain care delivery.

27 Oct 2009