Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Wealth disparities impact telehealth access for mental health care

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that mental health visits for patients with depression from high-wealth neighborhoods in Maryland were significantly more likely to happen via telehealth compared to patients with depression from low-wealth neighborhoods in Maryland from mid-2021 through mid-2024.

27 Feb 2025

Genetic study demonstrates fat-selective weight loss with GLP-1 agonist use

Diabetes and obesity have become pressing health issues worldwide. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, a class of medications widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), have shown significant effectiveness in both lowering blood sugar levels and aiding weight loss due to their unique pharmacological mechanisms.

25 Feb 2025

Study finds variations in prostate cancer detection across GP practices

A largescale study has found huge variation between GP practices on whether they are likely to pick up prostate cancer using a blood test.

24 Feb 2025

Telehealth and primary care providers deliver effective diabetes treatment

Researchers at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital, have found that people with diabetes can achieve the same positive results using advanced insulin technology when trained by their primary care providers (PCPs) or through telehealth as they would by seeing a specialist in person.

24 Feb 2025

Telemedicine adoption leads to fewer low-value medical tests

Low-value care-medical tests and procedures that provide little to no benefit to patients-contributes to excess medical spending and both direct and cascading harms to patients.

24 Feb 2025

Why over 5 billion people still lack access to life-saving medical oxygen

The Lancet Global Health Commission highlights severe inequities in medical oxygen access, urging systemic reforms to ensure universal availability and affordability.

23 Feb 2025

AI 'scribe' technology decreases documentation burden for clinicians

When doctors teamed with an artificial intelligence tool that "listened" in and took notes on patient visits, the tool significantly decreased the time providers spent interacting with patients' notes instead of with the patients themselves.

22 Feb 2025

FDA-approved devices used to treat cardiovascular diseases

Heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease, can have serious consequences. It's the leading cause of death for adults in the U.S. Medical devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, have extended and improved the lives of millions of people living with heart disease.

21 Feb 2025

New frailty index helps predict hospitalization and death risks in older adults

Investigators at Mass General Brigham have developed a tool that can identify older adults at increased risk of emergency healthcare needs, rehospitalization or death.

21 Feb 2025

Characterizing the spectrum of mitochondrial DNA deletion disease syndromes

Researchers from the Mitochondrial Medicine Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have better characterized a spectrum of what were classically considered discrete mitochondrial DNA deletion disease syndromes.

21 Feb 2025

Researchers highlight limited use of valuable screening tools for Alzheimer’s and other dementias

Despite the potential benefits of early detection and increasing treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, there is limited use of valuable screening and testing tools, say researchers at the University of Michigan.

21 Feb 2025

Texas Children's and MD Anderson join hands to tackle childhood cancer

Texas Children's Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a transformational collaboration dedicated solely to pediatric cancer care.

20 Feb 2025

Drinking more water may lower heart disease risk, but too much coffee and tea could raise it

Drinking water may help reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, while excessive coffee and tea intake (≥6 cups/day) increases the likelihood of CVD, with stronger effects in women.

19 Feb 2025

Low Medicaid telehealth reimbursement contributing to workforce crisis at FQHCs

A new study published in JAMA Network Open finds that low Medicaid telehealth reimbursement in New York State may be exacerbating a workforce crisis at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), particularly among mental health care practitioners.

18 Feb 2025

American Heart Association launches preventive health initiative for CKM syndrome

Five regions in the U.S. have been selected to implement a new preventive health initiative to improve care for people with a cluster of chronic conditions known as cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome.

18 Feb 2025

NIDUS-Family care package reduces dementia support costs

The NIDUS-Family package of care uses goal setting to help people with dementia live well at home for longer.

17 Feb 2025

Study reveals drastic variations in U.S. health care spending across counties

Researchers present the most comprehensive study on U.S. health care spending and variations across 3,110 counties by four payers, 148 health conditions, 38 age/sex groups, and seven types of care.

14 Feb 2025

Clear communication and decision-making tools boost vaccination rates in older adults

A clear endorsement from their healthcare provider and being supplied information about recommended vaccines before their clinic visit spurred more older Americans to get vaccinated, a new University of Virginia School of Medicine study found.

13 Feb 2025

New balance test could help predict falls in older adults

The scenario is common. An elderly person seems to be in good health until one day they suffer a fall and from then on their quality of life begins to deteriorate.

12 Feb 2025

New study reveals changing BMI patterns in children

A recently published LongITools study led by the University of Oulu identified two new childhood BMI patterns, challenging the traditional view of weight status.

12 Feb 2025