Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Roundup: Lessons from Mass. health reform; Berwick moves closer to gov. bid; Jindal reverses Medicaid hospice cut

When Massachusetts adopted its landmark health care law in 2006, the goals were ambitious and the potential solutions complex. ... What are they getting in return?

25 Jan 2013

State roundup: Legislatures tackle health budget gaps, worker pay

With the national economy picking up and the housing market improving, states are poised in 2013 to finally rebound from the recession's lingering revenue crunch. But continued budget delays in Washington may dampen that prospect.

24 Jan 2013

Free clinic patients less likely to use ED for minor issues

People who receive primary care from free clinics are less likely to use the emergency department for minor issues, according to a team of medical researchers.

23 Jan 2013

Single dose of seasonal flu vaccine is safe for egg allergic children

Egg allergic children, including those with a history of anaphylaxis to egg, can safely receive a single dose of the seasonal influenza vaccine, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

23 Jan 2013

Call for more COPD screening for smokers

Screening smokers with spirometry for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease picks up more cases than symptom-based detection, research suggests.

22 Jan 2013

INPC provides early warning of influenza outbreaks and other communicable diseases

The Centers for Disease Control has reported that influenza activity is high across most of the United States. The Indiana Network for Patient Care's ability to track data from physician offices and medical facilities across Indiana provides public health officials in the Hoosier state with early warning of outbreaks of influenza and other communicable diseases in Indiana.

22 Jan 2013

UCLA to participate as a Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the UCLA Health System has been selected to participate in the federal government's Medicare Shared Savings Program as an accountable care organization.

21 Jan 2013

NICE recommends BP monitor for atrial fibrillation detection

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued recommendations for the use of a new blood pressure device that could detect atrial fibrillation.

21 Jan 2013

Research roundup: Ameliorating physician shortages; Patients' perceptions of bias

The authors note that there is a consensus "that the current shortage of primary care physicians will worsen over the next ten years as the nation's population grows and ages and as insurance coverage expands as a result of the Affordable Care Act." They examine whether workplace changes will impact that assessment.

19 Jan 2013

Study to determine prevalence of abnormal anal cytology and HPV in at-risk women

A basic connection of statistics lead a researcher at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island to question whether women should be screened for anal cancer during a regular visit to the gynecologist, and what technique is most effective.

18 Jan 2013

Centerstone praises mental health recommendations made by President Obama

Centerstone and Centerstone Research Institute today praised mental health recommendations made by President Barack Obama as part of his Plan to Protect our Children and our Communities by Reducing Gun Violence and called on government leaders to assist in enacting the recommendations as quickly as possible.

18 Jan 2013

Doctor/nurse shortages come with a twist

A new study said the projected shortage of primary care physicians may be overstated, and new nurses are having trouble finding work.

16 Jan 2013

Clinician demographics key to primary care career choice

The demographics of physician assistants who choose a career in primary care are similar to those of medical students who also choose primary care, US study findings show.

16 Jan 2013

Analyzing how well the individual mandate may work

Politico looks at the practical task ahead for the health law's individual mandate.

16 Jan 2013

Emergency departments drained of resources for elderly

Plans are needed to accommodate the growing demands on emergency departments to provide suitable care for older individuals in the USA, say researchers.

15 Jan 2013

State highlights: Calif. governor earmarks money for Medi-Cal expansion; Mental health reforms take shape in Kan., Colo.

Brown earmarked $350 million in his spending plan to help enroll more Californians in Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the poor. Under the proposal, enrollment rules would be simplified to cover residents who are currently eligible but not enrolled.

15 Jan 2013

Cancer risk not increased in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Results from a large UK study suggest that people with severe mental illness are not at increased risk for developing common cancers.

14 Jan 2013

Primary-care clinic treatment improves patient follow up

Treating low-acuity emergency-department patients in a primary-care clinic results in better future primary care follow up, research shows.

14 Jan 2013

Communication key in helping patients adhere to medicine

Patients are less likely to take their medications properly if they feel their family doctor or other primary care clinician is failing to communicate with them adequately, suggests a US study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

14 Jan 2013

U.S. trails 16 other affluent countries in life expectancy, health status

It's no news that the U.S. has lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than most high-income countries. But a magisterial new report says Americans are actually less healthy across their entire life spans than citizens of 16 other wealthy nations.

11 Jan 2013