Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

New HMO dental plans for Californian residents

The state’s largest dental plan today unveiled two updated options under its DeltaCare® USA Individual and Family Program. The revamped HMO dental plans include procedures previously not covered and define copayments for a wider range of benefits, including orthodontics for adults and children.

9 Sep 2009

Practitioners struggle to effectively manage child obesity

New research, led by Dr Katrina Turner from the University's Department of Community Based Medicine, has assessed primary care practitioners' views and experiences of treating childhood obesity.

7 Sep 2009

Dr. Harold Hank Gardner in Healthspottr's top 50 healthcare leaders

Healthspottr.com names Dr. Harold "Hank Gardner in their top 50 healthcare leaders: leading minds, leading change, leading healthcare."

5 Sep 2009

Impact of the patient centered medical home model on the health care reform

Health2 Resources announced today free access to its Web portal, H2RMinutes, a one-stop source for news about the patient centered medical home (PCMH). H2RMinutes (http://www.h2rminutes.com) is designed specifically to keep health care policymakers, providers, employers and suppliers informed about the impact that the PCMH model is having on the national health care reform debate.

5 Sep 2009

New report released to highlight health insurance reform for senior women

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will travel to Maine today and formally release a new report on the importance of health insurance reform for older women (ages 55-64) and senior women (ages 65 and older).

4 Sep 2009

Department of Health's guidance on swine flu vaccination leaves local health chiefs confused

Thousands of frontline health workers in England are trapped in a postcode lottery after Department of Health (DH) guidance on swine flu vaccination has left local health chiefs confused over who is eligible for the jab.

4 Sep 2009

Giant Eagle offers generic prescription antibiotics for free at its in-store pharmacies

At a time when many families affected by a difficult economy are struggling with the costs of prescription medications, supermarket retailer Giant Eagle, Inc. is making ten broadly used generic prescription antibiotics in 46 common dosages available for free every day at all of its 210 in-store pharmacies.

4 Sep 2009

UK Performance Network signs agreements with South West and thirteen PCTs

The UK Performance Network announced it has signed agreements with the South West Strategic Health Authority and thirteen primary care trusts (PCTs) in the South West as new subscribers.

3 Sep 2009

The Quantum Group submits final patent for PWeR technology platform

The Quantum Group (NYSE Amex:QGP) announces that it has submitted a final patent filing that covers unique solutions for optimizing performance and access in a cloud computing environment. PWeR, the Quantum technology platform, was built on a cloud computing architecture and is designed to integrate all of the principal applications a provider uses into one system including Electronic Medical Records (EMR).

3 Sep 2009

Netherlands shows the way in healthcare accountability

As national healthcare reform initiatives grab headlines throughout the U.S., Maasstad Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is quietly demonstrating how physicians, nurses, and administrators can be held accountable to national performance standards.

3 Sep 2009

Sepracor to be acquired by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma for $2.6 billion

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (“DSP”, TSE: 4506) and Sepracor Inc. (“Sepracor”, Nasdaq: SEPR) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which DSP will acquire Sepracor for approximately $2.6 billion through a cash tender offer of $23.00 per share, followed by a merger to acquire all remaining outstanding Sepracor shares at the same price paid in the tender offer.

3 Sep 2009

Despite health reform efforts, Milwaukee clinic for low-income patients may close

A clinic in a low-income Milwaukee neighborhood has filled a need for 23 years, but people running it worry that it may not be helped by any changes to the health care system. The New York Times reports on the Milwaukee Immediate Care Center, a small nonprofit clinic, "which keeps hours at night and on weekends, [and] is the only full-time operation in the neighborhood that provides urgent care, luring patients with a sign that reads, 'When You Need a Doctor Today.'"

2 Sep 2009

CIGNA partners with MCNT to launch a medical home type program in Texas

CIGNA (NYSE:CI) and Medical Clinic of North Texas (MCNT) are preparing to launch a pilot program that incorporates components of the medical home model based on a comprehensive, accountable and collaborative approach they believe will lead to improved patient access, better continuity and coordination of care, improved quality of care for patients, and lower medical costs.

2 Sep 2009

SynerMed's announces a 35 percent growth in membership since the beginning of the first quarter of 2009

SynerMed, Inc. today announced a 35 percent growth in membership since the beginning of the first quarter of 2009. Representing 550,000 beneficiaries through its clients, SynerMed is the largest Medicaid managed service organization (MSO) in the country.

2 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 2, 2009

Baucus-Grassley Bipartisan Partnership Frays Under Health Reform Pressures For nearly a decade, the cross-aisle team of Democrat Max Baucus and Republican Charles Grassley has shaped dozens of tax cuts, trade measures and health bills on the Senate Finance Committee. That led many to predict that the partnership would be strong enough to broker bipartisan health care legislation this year (Kaiser Health News).

2 Sep 2009

Expanding health centers to reach more patients will result in huge health care savings

Expanding health centers to reach an additional 20 million patients as part of national health reform would result in overall health care savings of $212 billion over the ten-year period 2010 to 2019, including federal Medicaid savings of $59 billion.

2 Sep 2009

One Medicaid program struggles with 'financial tsunami', California confronts medical wait times, and more

State Medicaid programs are facing trouble and looking for solutions. Meanwhile, California regulators face down medical wait times and local political candidates face the health care issue during their short campaign season.

2 Sep 2009

Retail clinics offer better quality care at lower costs than other venues

A new study by Rand Corporation, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, concludes retail clinics provide quality care at lower costs and equal or better quality than other urgent care options.

1 Sep 2009

Demand for Imprivata's OneSign Platform solution growing

Imprivata®, Inc., the employee access management company and largest provider of healthcare single sign-on (SSO), today announced that it continues to see strong demand for its OneSign Platform solution from the healthcare industry's leading organizations.

1 Sep 2009

Black hypertension patients experience poor communication with doctors than white patients

Black patients with high blood pressure experience poorer communication with their doctors than white patients do, a study led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher has found.

1 Sep 2009