Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

AAPA applauds Baucus' efforts to move forward on health care reform legislation

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), representing 75,000 clinically practicing physician assistants (PAs) in the United States, is very pleased that America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, produced yesterday by Senator Max Baucus, fully integrates PAs into new team-based models of care that are designed to promote primary care and the coordination of care for patients with chronic medical conditions.

18 Sep 2009

Plans could change how Medicare pays doctors, hospitals

Sen. Max Baucus' health proposal includes achieving cost savings, in part, by reconfiguring the way doctors and hospitals are paid for their services, The Wall Street Journal reports.

18 Sep 2009

AFA welcomes inclusion of cognitive impairment screening in healthcare reform proposal

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) today applauded Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), who spearheaded the provision, for including cognitive impairment screening for Medicare beneficiaries in Baucus' healthcare reform proposal, "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009."

18 Sep 2009

Medicare to create pilot program for medical home model

Medicare will create a pilot program for a "medical home" model. The Wall Street Journal reports: "The Obama administration said Medicare will help fund state pilot projects that use primary-care doctors and teams of coordinators to manage patient care and reduce costs. Under the 'medical home' model, pioneered in Vermont and several other states, physicians are paid more for coordinating care for their patients.

17 Sep 2009

Canada's health care associations urge health ministers to tackle pressing issues at the ministers' annual meeting

Canada's leading health care associations are calling on federal and provincial/territorial health ministers to tackle a number of pressing issues at the ministers' annual meeting, taking place in Winnipeg September 17.

17 Sep 2009

Educational initiative proves successful in identifying and diagnosing fibromyalgia

According to The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Fibromyalgia Circle of Care Initiative has achieved dramatic success in heightening awareness, diagnosis and best practice treatment of fibromyalgia – a complex and chronic pain disorder that plagues an estimated 10 million Americans.

17 Sep 2009

Secretary Sebelius' new initiative to improve health care delivery

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, along with Vermont Governor Jim Douglas and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle today announced an initiative that will allow Medicare to join Medicaid, and private insurers in state-based efforts to improve the way health care is delivered.

17 Sep 2009

Vista Health System and MedVentive to offer sophisticated medical solution to patients and physicans

Vista Health System, LLC is pleased to announce a partnership with MedVentive, the leading provider of integrated performance management solutions for providers and health plans, to provide information technology services to its member physicians to improve patient care.

17 Sep 2009

Military families to benefit from expansion of Health Net Federal Services

As flu season approaches, Health Net Federal Services, LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), is proud to expand the provider network as well as promote awareness, education and resources to encourage all TRICARE North Region U.S. service members, retirees and their families to receive the influenza vaccine and practice preventive measures to avoid the virus this season.

17 Sep 2009

Speaker Pelosi remarks on benefits for children in health insurance reform

Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks at an event for the Children's Health Fund this afternoon on the West Front Lawn of the Capitol to raise awareness for the more than 21 million children who will benefit from health insurance reform.

17 Sep 2009

Study: Therapy addition reduces risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events

Data from the independent KYOTO HEART study, presented recently at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, and published online in the European Heart Journal demonstrated the addition of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) Diovan (valsartan) to a non-ARB-based treatment regimen for high blood pressure provided a significant 45% relative risk reduction in cardiovascular events(1) including stroke, compared to conventional non-ARB treatment regimen.(1)

17 Sep 2009

Doctor shortage and malpractice insurance pose challenges to reform

The Associated Press reports: "Due to increasing medical demands from aging baby boomers, the U.S. faces a dangerous shortage of primary-care doctors whether sweeping overhaul is passed or not."

17 Sep 2009

Researchers achieve positive results from a sustainable intervention in the primary care practice

German researchers from the Institutes for General Practice in Frankfurt / Main and Jena have achieved positive results from a sustainable intervention in the primary care practice (Annals of Internal Medicine, volume 151, number 6, Sep. 15, 2009).

17 Sep 2009

MDVIP's medical director suggests preventive measures for flu

Dr. Bernard Kaminetsky, the medical director of MDVIP, a national network of affiliated primary care doctors focused on preventive care, recommends, “Talk to your primary care physician now about the flu, both seasonal and H1N1 flu. Your primary care doctor is the one who can best prepare you for the upcoming season with vaccinations as well as information specific to you.”

16 Sep 2009

Primary care shortage could worsen under reform

The shortage of primary care physicians could prove a major challenge to health reform. To make matters worse, some doctors are considering early retirement because of the high cost of practicing medicine.

16 Sep 2009

Poll: Majority of doctors support public option

"Most doctors — 63 percent — say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance," NPR reports.

16 Sep 2009

Checking in with Dr. Abraham Verghese on the importance of the bedside manner

Kaiser Health News' Jessica Marcy talked with Dr. Abraham Verghese about a range of issues related to health reform and the practice of medicine. Verghese, a senior associate chair at Stanford University's School of Medicine and a best-selling author, spoke about "how medical educators are addressing the shortage of primary care physicians and the 'battle of stories' in the health care reform debate" (Marcy, 9/15).

16 Sep 2009

eHealthInsurance's key questions to help women purchase health insurance plans

eHealthInsurance, the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses, today released a list of answers to questions frequently asked by women who call its customer care center. The customer care center includes a call center staffed with licensed insurance agents.

15 Sep 2009

iMedicor and Transgenomic to develop an educational marketing program for NuroPro

iMedicor and Transgenomic today announced that they have signed an agreement to develop an educational marketing program for NuroPro, Transgenomic’s diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

15 Sep 2009

Children's Hospital and eClinicalWorks collaborate to implement PCHR

Children's Hospital Boston and eClinicalWorks(R) today announced a collaboration that will enable patients who are seen at Children's ambulatory programs and in primary care practices in the Pediatric Physicians' Organization at Children's (PPOC) to aggregate health data from both sites of care into a single personally controlled health record (PCHR).

15 Sep 2009